Visually readable electronic label

• US 9,286,594 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cordes, Kevin R., Loman, Clinton Harry, Paczkowski, Lyle W., Steele, Kenneth Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US14/732,846
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/492, 235/385, 235/487
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0709 the source being an interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07707 the visual interface being a display, e.g. LCD or electronic ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A visually readable electronic label is disclosed. The system comprises a radio frequency identity (RFID) component that is operable to store data, an antenna coupled to the radio frequency identity component that is operable for deriving electrical power from an incident radio frequency field, where the derived electrical power is the sole electrical power available to the electronic label and a display coupled to the radio frequency identity component that is operable to present a visual indication of the data when commanded by the radio frequency identity component and when electrical power derived from an incident radio frequency field is available.

Claims

1. A system for changing an indication of a brand using visually readable electronic labels, comprising:

a visually readable electronic label associated with at least one mobile communication device, comprising;

a radio frequency identity (RFID) component that is operable to store and process data,

an antenna coupled to the radio frequency identity component that is operable for deriving electrical power from an incident radio frequency field, and

a display coupled to the radio frequency identity component that is operable to present a visual indication of the data responsive to a command by the radio frequency identity component and based on the electrical power derived from the incident radio frequency field, wherein the visually readable electronic label changes the visual indication based on a brand indication in the data received from a scanning device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visually readable electronic label communicates with the scanning device that determines a successful change on the visually readable electronic label.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the visually readable electronic label further comprises an energy storage component that is coupled to the antenna and that stores energy in an electric field, wherein the display is powered at least in part by discharging the energy stored in the electric field by the energy storage component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the brand indication corresponds with a service provider or the at least one mobile communication device, and wherein the visual indication comprises at least one of a color, a pattern, an icon, a location of a dot in a grid, or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising the scanning device executing instructions that configure a processor to provide the incident radio frequency field, identify the brand indication from the visually readable electronic label, and determine that the brand indication successfully changed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the electrical power derived is stored in at least one of a capacitor, an inductor, or a battery that is in signal communication with at least the radio frequency identification component of the visually readable electronic label.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one visually readable electronic label is configured to affix to a surface.

8. A method of transmitting an indication of a brand to a visually readable electronic label, comprising:

broadcasting, by a scanning device to at least one visually readable electronic label associated with at least one mobile communication device, a radio frequency command signal that radiates the at least one visually readable electronic label, wherein the at least one visually readable electronic label comprises at least one display area, a radio frequency identity chip, and an antenna operable for deriving electrical power from an incident radio frequency field, and wherein the radio frequency command signal directs the radio frequency identity chip of the at least one visually readable electronic label to store a brand indication; and

determining, by the scanning device from the at least one visually readable electronic label, that the radio frequency identity chip of the at least one visually readable electronic label successfully stored the brand indication based on the radio frequency command signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one visually readable electronic label is associated with a plurality of mobile communication devices based on the radio frequency command signal broadcasted by the scanning device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating, by the scanning device, the radio frequency command signal that directs the radio frequency identity chip of the at least one visually readable electronic label to present a visual indication of the brand indication on the at least one display area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein broadcasting the radio frequency command signal to the visually readable electronic label is in response to the generation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the derived electrical power is the sole electrical power externally available to the at least one visually readable electronic label.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the scanning device determines successful storage or change of the brand indication based at least in part on a visual indication presented on the at least one display area subsequent to the broadcasting.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising broadcasting, by the scanning device to the at least one visually readable electronic label, a second radio frequency command signal that changes the at least one visually readable electronic label to an updated brand indication and displays a visual indication on the at least one display area responsive to the change.

15. A method of changing an indication of a brand of a visually readable electronic label, comprising:

determining a brand indication, by a scanning device, from each of a plurality of visually readable electronic labels, wherein each label comprises at least one display area, a radio frequency identity chip that stores the brand indication, and an antenna operable for deriving electrical power from a radio frequency signal radiated by the scanning device, and wherein at least one of the visually readable electronic labels is associated with a mobile communication device; and

based on the brand indication, transmitting a command by the scanning device to at least one of the visually readable electronic labels to change to an updated brand indication.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining, by the scanning device by communicating with at least some of the plurality of visually readable electronic labels, which of the plurality of visually readable electronic labels successfully changed their brand indication to the updated brand indication.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the command by the scanning device is based on a unique identifier corresponding to the brand indication associated with at least some of the visually readable electronic labels.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the command transmitted by the scanning device includes the updated brand indication with a corresponding unique identifier that is within a range of mobile equipment identifiers associated with at least one of the plurality of visually readable electronic labels.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a provisioning data store is synchronized with changes in brand indications on the visually readable electronic labels.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the scanning device identifies at least one mobile communication device from a list of mobile equipment identifiers (MEID) provided by at least one visually readable electronic label, and wherein each mobile equipment identifier on the list has a corresponding mobile communication device.