Product information display system with expanded retail display functions

• US 6,552,663 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northern Illinois University
• Original Assignee: Display Edge Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: Swartzel, Stanley J., Honeck, Timothy B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/784,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20010045893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1,572.4,825.54,825.06,5.91 235/383 705/20,26
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas, a multiplicity of the display tags including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, expanded retail mode functions and methods are provided for stocking products, locating products, printing new overlay labels for tags, and performing tag maintenance.

Claims

1. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage plurality of electronic display tags associated with the product storage areas to display product information, a multiplicity of electronic display tags each including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the electronic display tags and connected for accessing a database identifying products associated with particular electronic display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, a method for locating a desired product associated with and located proximate to at least one electronic display tag of the multiplicity of display tags, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying the desired product using the portable wireless terminal;

(b) communicating the desired product to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(c) identifying, by the controller, the at least one electronic display tag associated with the desired product via a database check according to the desired product;

(d) communicating, from the controller to the identified electronic display tag, a signal for activating the annunciator of the identified electronic display tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to step (a), the following steps are performed:

(i) the controller stopping all annunciator activity of the multiplicity of electronic display tags; and

(ii) the controller storing a record of tags which had active annunciators.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) for a plurality of desired products, where each desired product is associated with and located proximate to a respective one of the multiplicity of electronic display tags.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising the further steps of:

(f) after step (e), the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(g) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of electronic display tags includes a product information display screen and the annunciator of each of the multiplicity of electronic display tags is a light emitting element that is separate from the product information display screen.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the annunciator is a sound element type annunciator.

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

(1) the controller retrieving a tag location of the identified electronic display tag and communicating the tag location to the portable wireless terminal;

(2) the portable wireless terminal displaying the received tag location for observation by a user.

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

(1) the controller retrieving a tag location of the identified display tag and communicating the tag location to the portable wireless terminal;

(2) the portable wireless terminal displaying the received tag location for observation by a user.

8. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas to display product information, a multiplicity of the display tags each including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, a method for retrieving multiple products stored in the product storage areas, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uploading a product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a desired product from the product list of the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the desired product to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller identifying a display tag associated with the desired product and activating the annunciator of the associated display tag;

(e) retrieving the desired product;

(f) marking the desired product as retrieved on the product list on the portable wireless terminal;

(g) updating the product list on the portable wireless terminal by removing the retrieved product from the product list; and

(h) repeating steps (b) through (g) for multiple products on the product list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the system is operable in a plurality of modes and prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to a product locate mode;

(2) the controller stopping all display tag annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein after step (h) the following steps are performed:

(i) returning the system to the operating mode;

(j) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(k) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record.

24. The method of claim 9, wherein the each of the multiplicity of display tags includes a product information display screen and the annunciator of each of the multiplicity of display tags is separate from the product information display screen.

11. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas to display product information areas, a multiplicity of the display tags each including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller and having a scanner for scanning product codes, a method for facilitating product stocking to the product storage areas, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the portable wireless terminal, scanning a product code of a given package of a particular product in order to identify information regarding the particular product, where the given package is one that (i) is not yet located at one of the product storage area and (ii) is to be stocked;

(b) communicating said information regarding the particular product to the controller;

(c) the controller identifying a display tag associated with the particular product and activating the annunciator of the associated display tag to alert a user or users to a particular product storage area proximate to the associated display tag and that is the appropriate stocking location for the given package.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising the further steps of:

(d) the user or users stocking the given package at the particular product storage area; and

(e) deactivating the annunciator of the associated display tag of step (c); and

(f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for a multiplicity of different products.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to a product stock mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein after step (e) the following steps are performed:

(f) returning the system to the operating mode;

(g) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(h) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

25. The method of claim 13, wherein the each of the multiplicity of display tags includes a product information display screen and the annunciator of each of the multiplicity of display tags is separate from the product information display screen.

16. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas to display product storage areas to display production information;

multiplicity of the display tags each including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, and a printer associated with the portable wireless terminal, a method for replacing at least one overlay label for a display tag, the method comprising the steps of;

(a) uploading a display tag or product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a list item from the list on the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the list item to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller activating an annunciator of a given display tag associated with the selected list item;

(e) the controller communicating print information for the given display tag to the portable wireless terminal;

(f) the portable wireless terminal causing the printer to print a new overlay label for the given display tag according to the received print information.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising the further steps of:

(g) applying the new overlay label to the given display tag;

(h) marking the list item associated with the given display tag as updated on the list of the portable wireless terminal;

(j) updating the list of the portable wireless terminal by removing the list item associated with the given display tag from the list; and

(k) repeating steps (b) through (I) for each list item remaining on the list of the portable wireless terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to an overlay merchandising mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein after step (k) the following steps are performed:

(l) returning the system to the operating mode;

(m) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(n) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the each of the multiplicity of display tags includes a product information display screen and the annunciator of each of the multiplicity of display tags is separate from the product information display screen.

20. In an electronic product information display system including multiple product storage areas, a plurality of display tags associated with the product storage areas to display product information areas, a multiplicity of the display tags each including an annunciator, a controller connected for communication with the display tags, and a portable wireless terminal operable for communication with the controller, a method for performing display tag maintenance, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) uploading a display tag or product list to the portable wireless terminal and displaying at least part of the list on a display of the portable wireless terminal;

(b) selecting a list item from the list on the portable wireless terminal;

(c) communicating the list item to the controller using the portable wireless terminal;

(d) the controller activating an annunciator of a given display tag associated with the selected list item;

(e) a person locating the given display tag via the annunciator and performing required display tag maintenance.

21. The method of claim 20 comprising the further steps of:

(f) marking the list item associated with the given display tag as updated on the list of the portable wireless terminal;

(g) updating the list of the portable wireless terminal by removing the list item associated with the given display tag from the list; and

(h) repeating steps (b) through (g) for each list item remaining on the list of the portable wireless terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein prior to step (a) the following steps are performed:

(1) switching the system from an operating mode to tag maintenance mode;

(2) the controller stopping all annunciator activity in response to the mode switch;

(3) the controller storing a record of which display tags had active annunciators.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein after step (h) the following steps are performed:

(i) returning the system to the operating mode;

(j) the controller retrieving the previously stored record of tag annunciator activity; and

(k) the controller reactivating the annunciators according to the retrieved record of tag annunciator activity.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the each of the multiplicity of display tags includes a product information display screen and the annunciator of each of the multiplicity of display tags is separate from the product information display screen.