System and method of displaying information by an electronic price label

• US 6,859,786 B1
• Filed: 03/23/1999
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, John C. III, Zimmerman, Terry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischetti, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/274,410
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/20, 705/21, 705/16, 235/382, 235/383, 235/385, 235/375
• US Class Current: 705/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system and method of displaying information by an electronic price label which uses thresholds to minimize the number of messages to an electronic price label. The system includes a record for an item associated with the electronic price label which contains the thresholds. The thresholds divide the information into a number of ranges including a first range of information and a second range of information. The system further includes a computer for scheduling messages for transmission to the electronic price label, wherein the computer obtains first information associated with the first range and displayed by the electronic price label, obtains second information which is more recent than the first information, determines whether the first information equals the second information, and if the first information does not equal the second information, obtains the second range, determines whether the first information is within the second range, and sends a message to the electronic price label containing the second information and a command to display the second information instead of the first information if the first information is outside the second range.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information about a product by an electronic price label which is driven by signals over a given bandwidth comprising:

(a) dividing the information into ranges;

(b) obtaining first information displayed by the electronic price label;

(c) obtaining second information which is more recent than the first information;

(d) determining whether the first information equals the second information; and

(e) if the first information does not equal the second information, conserving the bandwidth by

(e-1) obtaining a first range containing the second information;

(e-2) determining whether the first information is within the first range;

(e-3) if the first information is outside the first range, sending a message to the electronic price label containing the second information and a command to display the second information instead of the first information; and

(e-4) if the first information is inside the first range, allowing the electronic price label to continue displaying the first information even though the first information is not so accurate as the second information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information is employee-directed item information.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein (e-2) comprises:

(e-2-A) obtaining a second range for the first information; and

(e-2-B) determining whether the first range equals the second range.

4. A method of displaying information about a product other than price by an electronic price label which is driven by signals over a given bandwidth comprising:

(a) dividing the information into ranges;

(b) obtaining first information displayed by the electronic price label from a data record associated with the electronic price label;

(c) obtaining second information which is more recent than the first information;

(d) determining whether the first information equals the second information; and

(e) if the first information does not equal the second information, conserving the bandwidth by obtaining a first range containing the second information, determining whether the first information is within the first range, and, if the first information is outside the first range, sending a message to the electronic price label containing the second information and a command to display the second information instead of the first information, and otherwise, if the first information is inside the first range, allowing the electronic price label to continue displaying the first information even though the first information is not so accurate as the second information.

5. A method of displaying inventory information about a product by an electronic price label which is driven by signals over a given bandwidth comprising:

(a) dividing the inventory information into inventory ranges;

(b) obtaining first inventory information displayed by the electronic price label from a data record associated with the electronic price label;

(c) obtaining second inventory information which is more recent than the first inventory information;

(d) determining whether the first inventory information equals the second inventory information; and

(e) if the first inventory information does not equal the second inventory information, conserving the bandwidth by determining a first inventory range containing the second inventory information, determining whether the first inventory information is within the first inventory range, and, if the first inventory information is outside the first inventory range, sending a message to the electronic price label containing the second inventory information and a command to display the second inventory information instead of the first inventory information, and otherwise, if the first inventory information is inside the first range, allowing the electronic price label to continue displaying the first inventory information even though the first information is not so accurate as the second information.