Method of locating electronic price labels in transaction establishments

• US 5,818,346 A
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, John C. III, Zimmerman, Terry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/603,007
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.49, 340/825.35, 340/825.54, 340/572, 342/457, 395/201, 395/228, 455/456, 455/67.7
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method of locating an electronic price label in a transaction establishment which relies on known location information from other electronic price labels. The method includes the steps of receiving a message from the electronic price label, determining a first approximate location of the electronic price label from characteristics of the return message, selecting other electronic price labels in proximity with the approximate location, receiving messages from a number of the other electronic price labels whose locations are known, determining which of the number of the other electronic price labels is closest to the electronic price label from characteristics of the messages from the number of the other electronic price labels, and determining a second approximate location of the electronic price label based on the location of the closest electronic price label.

Claims

1. A method of locating a wireless electronic price label in a transaction establishment comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a message from the wireless electronic price label;

(b) determining a first approximate location of the electronic price label from characteristics of the message received from the electronic price label;

(c) selecting other wireless electronic price labels in proximity with the first approximate location;

(d) receiving messages from a number of the other wireless electronic price labels whose locations are known;

(e) determining which of the number of the other wireless electronic price labels is closest to the electronic price label from characteristics of the messages from the number of the other wireless electronic price labels; and

(f) determining a second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label based on the location of the closest wireless electronic price label.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing an electronic price label configuration file including addresses of electronic price labels and location data for the location within the transaction establishment for the electronic price labels.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said location data further establishes the location of the electronic price labels relative to the location of different types of goods.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of selecting further comprises utilizing said stored location data to determine the other wireless electronic price labels in proximity with the first approximate location determined from characteristics of the message received from the electronic price label.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of determining a first approximate location further comprises utilizing electronic price label software to monitor received signal strength from the electronic price label and to determine the first approximate location of the electronic price label.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of locating an additional plurality of wireless electronic price labels and printing a list of electronic price labels which are not in their assigned positions.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing an entry in a missing electronic price label action file if it is determined that the second approximate location differs from an assigned position.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing a map of the transaction establishment including the location of store shelves and wireless electronic price labels in memory.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of referencing the locations of store shelves and wireless electronic price labels to a two-dimensional coordinate system.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

identifying the wireless electronic price label as missing; and

transmitting a query message to the wireless electronic price label before said step of receiving a message.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of retransmitting the query message if no message is received in response up to a predetermined number of retries.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of storing in memory a message that the wireless electronic price label was not located if the predetermined number of retries has occurred without receiving a message in response.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting other wireless electronic price labels in proximity further comprises reading and analyzing electronic price label system configuration file data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of determining which of the number of other wireless electronic price labels is closest further comprises transmitting a query to the wireless electronic price labels;

and determining which of said other wireless electronic price labels is closest by examining signal strength and noise information from one or more receive antennae that receive a response.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of directing an operator to where the wireless electronic price label is located.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of directing the operator to where the wireless electronic price label should be placed once it is found.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said step of directing further comprises providing the operator with an indication of the type of goods in the second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label.

2. A method of locating a wireless electronic price label in a transaction establishment comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a message to the wireless electronic price label;

(b) monitoring for a return message from the wireless electronic price label;

(c) performing steps (a) and (b) a number of times;

(d) receiving the return message from the wireless electronic price label by a number of receive antennae;

(e) determining a first approximate location of the wireless electronic price label from signal-to-noise information associated with the return message at each receive antennae;

(f) selecting other wireless electronic price labels, whose locations are known, within a predetermined distance of the approximate location;

(g) transmitting another message to the other wireless electronic price labels;

(h) monitoring for return messages from the other wireless electronic price labels;

(i) performing steps (g) and (h) a number of times;

(j) receiving the return messages from a number of the other wireless electronic shelf labels by a number of receive antennae;

(k) determining which of the number of the other wireless electronic price labels is closest to the wireless electronic price label from signal-to-noise information associated with the return messages from the number of the other wireless electronic price labels at each of the number of receive antennae;

(l) determining a second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label based on the location of the closest wireless electronic price label; and

(m) indicating to an operator the second approximate location of the wireless electronic electronic price label.

3. A method of locating a wireless electronic price label in a transaction establishment comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a message to the wireless electronic price label;

(b) monitoring for a return message from the wireless electronic price label;

(c) performing steps (a) and (b) a number of times;

(d) receiving the return message from the wireless electronic price label;

(e) determining a first approximate location of the wireless electronic price label from characteristics of the return message;

(f) selecting other wireless electronic price labels, whose locations are known, within a predetermined distance of the approximate location;

(g) transmitting another message to the other wireless electronic price labels;

(h) monitoring for return messages from the other wireless electronic price labels;

(i) performing steps (g) and (h) a number of times;

(j) receiving the return messages from a number of other wireless electronic price labels;

(k) determining which of the number of the other wireless electronic price labels is closest to the wireless electronic price label from characteristics of the return messages from the number of the other wireless electronic price labels;

(l) determining a second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label based on the location of the closest of the number of the other wireless electronic price labels; and

(m) indicating to an operator the second approximate location of the wireless electronic price label.