System and method for displaying item information

• US 7,561,717 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, Duane
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Duy M
• Application Number:
  US10/888,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20060007304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 382/101, 382/312, 382/313, 235/385, 235/462.13
• US Class Current: 382/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for communicating information associated with one or more items to an operator through a video display. Indicia, such as a bar code or an RFID signal, are captured from items and processed into data, and the data is transmitted to a video display when the items are within the display zone for the video display. Data for each item includes an item component and an information component, wherein the item component communicates to an operator viewing a video display which item is associated with the information component and its relative position to the operator, and the information component communicates to an operator the information associated with the item. Information communicated to the operator may include sorting or handling instructions for the item. To assist the operator in processing each item, the information component is displayed adjacent the item component.

Claims

1. An acquisition and display system, comprising:

one or more acquisition devices to capture an indicia from each of one or more items;

one or more video displays to exhibit data corresponding to each of said one or more items, said data comprising an item component and an information component; and

a computer in communication with said one or more acquisition devices and said one or more video displays, wherein said computer receives said indicia from said one or more acquisition devices, processes said indicia into said data, and transmits said data to said one or more video displays.

2. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said one or more video displays exhibits said information component adjacent said item component.

3. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said one or more video displays exhibits said information component at least partially superimposed upon said item component.

4. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said acquisition device comprises an image camera, an RFID reader, or an optical scanner.

5. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said indicia comprises an RFID signal, a code readable by an optical scanner, a text readable by an optical character recognition scanner, or a visual representation.

6. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said item component comprises a visual representation of each of said one or more items, said visual representation being a prismatic representation, a moving image, a still image, or a symbol.

7. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein said information component comprises processing instructions or handling instructions.

8. The acquisition and display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a tracking system for monitoring a current item location associated with each of said one or more items along a path generally towards one or more display zones;

each of said one or more display zones defining an area corresponding to each of said one or more video displays; and

wherein said computer receives said current item location from said tracking system, and said computer transmits said data to said one or more video displays when each of said one or more items enters each of said one or more corresponding display zones.

9. The acquisition and display system of claim 8 wherein said tracking system comprises:

a signal identifier contiguous to each of said one or more items, said signal identifier indicating said current item location;

two or more fixed receivers, each having a defined field of view and a location identifier, to detect said signal identifier within said field of view; and

a tracking computer in communication with said two or more fixed receivers, wherein said tracking computer stores said location identifiers and processes said current item location of said signal identifier received by said two or more fixed receivers as said current location changes.

10. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein said tracking computer provides said current location of each of said one or more items to said computer, said computer configured for determining which items are entering each of said one or more display zones and transmitting said data about said items within each of said one or more display zones to said corresponding video displays.

11. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein said tracking computer is configured for determining which items are entering said display zone and providing said display zone associated with each of said current item locations to said computer.

12. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein at least two of the receivers comprise RFJD readers or cameras that are each capable of detecting energy transmitted from a passive beacon.

13. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein the signal identifier comprises an RFID tag or a passive beacon capable of activation by a source of energy.

14. The acquisition and display system of claim 13 wherein the passive beacon comprises retro-reflective material.

15. The acquisition and display system of claim 13 wherein the source of energy comprises light.

16. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein the location identifier for a first receiver is relative to the location identifier for a second receiver.

17. The acquisition and display system of claim 9 wherein the location identifier for each receiver comprises an absolute location.

18. The acquisition and display system of claim 1 wherein the acquisition and display system is used for the sorting and processing of mail and parcels.

19. A computer system comprising:

an input module for receiving an indicia acquired from each of one or more items;

a processor for processing said indicia from each of said one or more items into data corresponding to each of said one or more items, said data comprising an item component and an information component;

a data transmitting module for transmitting said data to one or more video displays; and

an application module for selecting at least a portion of said data to be displayed.

20. The computer system of claim 19 further comprising one or more acquisition devices for acquiring indicia from each of said one or more items and sending said indicia from each of said one or more acquisition devices to said input module.

21. The computer system of claim 19 further comprising one or more video displays for receiving said data from said data transmitting module and exhibiting said data.

22. The computer system of claim 19 wherein said item component comprises a visual representation of each of said one or more items, said visual representation being a moving image, a still image, a prismatic representation, or a symbol.