Methods and apparatus for self-diagnosing electronic price labels

• US 7,026,913 B2
• Filed: 11/30/1999
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Bhyravabhotla, Raghurama
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US09/450,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 705/20, 345/520, 340/825.52, 340/5.91, 340/5.92, 714/25, 714/46, 714/26, 714/748, 714/749, 235/383, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/5.91
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A self-diagnosing electronic price label. The label communicates with a central processor in order to receive price information for display and to report the status of the label to the central processor. The label periodically runs a self-test program to verify proper operation of its components. If a component fails the self-test, the failure is reported to a central processor, and the central processor reports the failure for investigation. During normal operation, the label issues a signal to the central processor indicating normal operation. In the event of a failure, the label ceases to send the signal indicating normal operation. When the signal is not received as expected, the central processor reports the failure to receive the signal for investigation. This allows the central processor to be alerted to failures which disable communication between the label and the central processor.

Claims

1. An electronic price label operating independently of an external power source and wirelessly communicating information with a communication base station, the communication base station wirelessly transmitting a status request to the electronic price label to perform a status request dependent diagnostic test, the electronic price label comprising;

a battery for powering the electronic price label independent of an external controller;

memory for storing price information;

an interface for receiving the price information for storage;

a display for displaying the price information; and

a processor being powered by the battery and adapted to control operation of the memory, the interface and the display, the processor being operative to perform one or more independent diagnostic tests independent of the communication base station according to a predetermined schedule on one or more of the memory, the interface and the display, the processor being further operative to report a detected failure of one or more of the independent diagnostic tests.

2. The label of claim 1 and also including an audible and visual alert signal for providing an audible and visual alert upon direction from the processor upon failure of one or more of the independent diagnostic tests.

3. The label of claim 2 wherein the one or more independent diagnostic tests include a test on the battery, the diagnostic tests being operative to isolate a fault occurring in the battery.

4. The label of claim 3 wherein the interface includes a radio transmitter and receiver and is operative to transmit information describing the status of the label.

5. The label of claim 4 wherein the label is operative to periodically transmit a signal indicating that the label is operating normally.

6. The electronic price label of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication is passive.

7. The electronic price label of claim 1 wherein the one or more independent diagnostic tests include a battery level test.

8. The electronic price label of claim 1 wherein the one or more independent diagnostic tests include a stuck button test.

9. An electronic price label system for use in a retail establishment, the electronic price label system comprising:

a central processor for maintaining price and other information relating to a plurality of retail items; and

a plurality of labels operative to wirelessly communicate with the central processor, each label having a memory, an interface, a display, and a battery for independently powering said label independent of an external power source, the labels being operative to display information based on information received from the central processor, each of the labels being operative to perform internal self-diagnostic tests according to a predetermined schedule on the memory, the interface and the display, the internal self-diagnostic tests being independent of a status request transmitted by the central processor,

each of the plurality of labels being further operative to report a detected failure of one or more of the internal self-diagnostic tests independent of a status request transmitted by the central processor, and provide an alert or indication reporting failure of the self-diagnostic test.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the alert includes an audible and visual alert.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the labels is operative to transmit status information to the central processor.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein each of the labels includes a transmitter and wherein the alert includes a signal transmitted to the central processor reporting failure of the self-diagnostic test.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the status information includes a normal operation signal periodically transmitted by each label to the central processor during normal operation of the label and wherein the central processor notes failure of a label if the normal operation signal is not received as expected.

14. The electronic price label system of claim 9 wherein the internal self-diagnostic tests include a battery level test.

15. The electronic price label system of claim 9 wherein the internal self-diagnostic tests include a battery level test.

16. The electronic price label system of claim 9 wherein the internal self-diagnostic tests include a stuck button test.