Method for detecting and reporting failures in EPL systems

• US 6,043,751 A
• Filed: 03/27/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Goodwin, John C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asongwed, Anthony A.
• Application Number:
  US08/826,263
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.16, 340/505, 340/663, 340/825.35, 340/825.72, 340/636, 340/825.07, 340/540, 371/26, 371/34, 705/400, 455/67.4
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2205 using arrangements specific to the hardware being tested
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method for handling failures in an electronic price label (EPL) system which automatically diagnoses failures, and which may additionally automatically contact a support organization. The method includes the steps of transmitting a status request to a communications base station (CBS) and to an EPL by a computer, receiving a status reply from the CBS and the EPL by the computer, comparing the status message to fault data within a fault data file stored within a storage medium by the computer, and determining from the comparison whether a fault in the system has occurred.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the voltage of a battery within an electronic price label (EPL) comprising the steps of:

transmitting a request for battery voltage status message to the EPL by a computer within a transaction establishment;

transmitting an answer message containing the battery voltage to the computer by the EPL;

comparing the battery voltage to fault data within a fault data file stored within a storage medium by the computer;

determining from the comparison whether the battery voltage is below a predetermined minimum battery voltage; and

if the battery voltage is below the predetermined minimum battery voltage, automatically transmitting a fault message indicating that the battery voltage is too low to a support organization outside the transaction establishment.

2. A method of monitoring a power supply which supplies power to a group of communication base stations within an electronic price label (EPL) system for failure comprising the steps of:

transmitting status requests to the group of communication base stations and to additional communication base stations powered by a different power supply within the EPL system by a computer; and

if return messages from the group of communication base stations are not received by the computer, but return messages from the additional communication base stations are received by the computer, transmitting a fault message indicating that the power supply for the group is faulty to a support organization by the computer.

3. A method of monitoring a receive antenna within a communication base station in an electronic price label (EPL) system for failure comprising the steps of:

transmitting a status message to the communication base station by a computer;

transmitting the status message to an EPL by the communication base station;

transmitting an answer message to the computer by the EPL;

if the answer message is not received by the computer through the communication base station, determining whether a power level consumed by a low-noise amplifier between the communication base station and the receive antenna is below a predetermined minimum power level; and

if the power level is below the predetermined minimum power level, transmitting a fault message indicating that the low-noise amplifier is faulty to a support organization by the computer.