System and method of sending messages to electronic shelf labels based upon priority

• US 7,461,009 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Haulk, Kevin W., Harkins, Cheryl K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi, Hani
• Application Number:
  US09/896,317
• Time in Patent Office: 2,713 Days
• Field of Search: 705/20, 705/21, 705/22, 705/16, 705/23, 705/27, 235/383
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

An electronic shelf label system which sends messages to electronic shelf labels based upon priority. The system includes an electronic shelf label, and a computer for assigning a priority to an unsent message to the electronic shelf label, for comparing the priority to other priorities of other messages which are unsent, and for sending the message if the priority is higher than the other priorities. The computer may also determine message priorities of types of messages.

Claims

1. A method of sending a message to an electronic shelf label comprising the steps of:

placing the message in a spool file containing other messages to be sent to other electronic shelf labels;

assigning a transmission priority to the message relative to other transmission priorities assigned to the other messages; and

sending the message including

comparing the transmission priority to the other transmission priorities of the other messages; and

sending the message after higher priority messages have been sent.

2. A method of sending messages to a plurality of electronic shelf labels comprising the steps of:

placing the messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file;

assigning transmission priorities to the messages; and

sending the messages in order of transmission priority starting with a highest priority message.

3. A method of sending messages to a plurality of electronic shelf labels comprising the steps of:

placing the messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file;

determining possible transmission priorities;

assigning a number of actual transmission priorities out of the possible transmission priorities to the messages; and

sending the messages in order of actual transmission priority starting with a highest actual priority message.

4. A method of sending a message to an electronic shelf label comprising the steps of:

placing the message in a spool file containing other messages to be sent to other electronic shelf labels;

assigning a type to the message;

assigning a transmission priority to the message relative to other transmission priorities assigned to the other messages; and

sending the message including

comparing the transmission priority to the other transmission priorities of same type messages of the other messages; and

sending the message after higher priority same type messages have been sent.

5. A method of sending messages to electronic shelf labels comprising the steps of:

placing the messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file;

assigning types to the messages;

assigning transmission priorities to the messages; and

sending the messages including

ordering the messages by type and transmission priority; and

sending the messages in each type in order of transmission priority, starting with a highest priority message in each type.

6. An electronic shelf label system comprising:

a plurality of electronic shelf labels; and

a computer for placing messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file, for determining possible transmission priorities, for assigning a number of actual transmission priorities out of the possible transmission priorities to the messages, and for sending the messages in order of actual transmission priority starting with a highest actual priority message.

7. An electronic shelf label system comprising:

a plurality of electronic shelf labels; and

a computer for placing messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file, for assigning transmission priorities to the messages, and for sending the messages in order of transmission priority starting with a highest priority message.

8. An electronic shelf label system comprising:

a plurality of electronic shelf labels; and

a computer for placing messages to the plurality of electronic shelf labels in a spool file, for assigning types to the messages, for assigning transmission priorities to the messages, and for sending the messages including ordering the messages by type and transmission priority and sending the messages in each type in order of transmission priority, starting with a highest priority message in each type.