285 results about "Electronic shelf label" patented technology

Disclosed herein is an electronic shelf label system. The electronic shelf label system includes a wired / wireless converter wirelessly transmitting product information according to request of a server, at least one rail installed on a product display stand and including a plurality of electrical wirings, at least one first electronic tag installed in the rail and performing wireless communication with the wired / wireless converter, and a plurality of second electronic tags each installed in the rail and performing wired communication with the first electronic tag through the electronic wirings. The electronic shelf label system uses the hybrid communication in which wire and wireless are mixed, thereby making it possible to provide the smooth communication environment by removing a shadow area of communication while dispersing communication traffic.

A system and method for monitoring temperatures in retail environment. The method includes associating temperature monitoring electronic shelf labels with a product and monitoring the temperature at the temperature monitoring electronic shelf label. When the monitored temperature is outside a predetermined range for the associated product, a warning is generated and transmitted to system users. Temperatures are also stored for each monitored product and zone for subsequent review. The temperature monitoring electronic shelf label comprises a temperature sensor integrated with an electronic shelf label, is mounted in a retail environment with temperature-sensitive products, and is connected to a low voltage power supply and communicates with an area controller.

The present invention describes a system for interrogating or updating electronic shelf tags in a store or warehouse without the need for a complicated or expensive infrastructure. In the system, a single portable RFID device is carried by a worker to perform tasks such as organizing goods on the shelves of a store or a warehouse. As the worker traverses the aisles he may use the portable RFID device to scan each RFID tag as it comes within range. Through a wireless connection to a central controller on which pricing information is stored, the portable RFID device is able to verify that the information located in each RFID tag is correct. If the information is not correct, it can be updated with the correct information from the central controller. Alternatively, the RFID device may be self-contained and have all the correct pricing information stored on an internal memory.

Disclosed is self-service shopping support of acquiring content from an electronic shelf label (ESL), in which customers themselves do self-service shopping using the electronic shelf label (ESL) while looking at a real commodity that is displayed in a store, and which also expands the function of the electronic shelf label, developmentally leading to the possibility of the linkage with other data processing systems. The customers use mobile processing devices (typically, the portable telephones belonging to the customers themselves) in the store. As the function required for acquiring the content from the electronic shelf label (ESL), the customers install an application program in the portable telephones belonging to the customers (610), and thus it is expected that customers can enjoy easy shopping (620). When the electronic shelf label (ESL) is photographed (630), the content associated with a commodity is encoded (price indication (640) automatically changes to a bar code or the like (650)), and is decoded (660).

Electronic shelf label (ESL) carriers including an attachment member to be secured to a supporting surface such as a C-channel, a holder member with tabs for removably receiving and supporting the ESLs, and a cover member pivotally carried by the top or the bottom of the holder member to overly and protect the ESLs. The attachment member and the holder member include interengageable complementary adjustment elements to enable the ESLs to be displayed at a zero angle or a positive or negative angular orientation relative to the supporting surface. In one embodiment, the attachment member has a pair of forwardly extending legs each of which include a pair of spaced cavities, with the holder member including upper and lower elements with complementary protrusions which can be selectively engaged in the cavities to adjust the viewing angle. Other embodiments include a plurality of spaced T-shaped protrusions on an arcuate portion or a portion with a central section and angularly offset wings of the attachment member, the stems of the T-shaped protrusions being flexible to enable the cross-bars to be selectively engaged in complementary cavities defined on the holder member.

An ESL server (3) includes a management-device storage unit for storing information indicating a position at which a second electronic shelf label terminal (1) is installed, a management-device reception unit for receiving information transmitted from a transmission unit of a handy terminal (5), and a management-device control unit for identifying a position at which a first electronic shelf label terminal (1) is installed based on information for uniquely identifying the first electronic shelf label terminal (1), information for uniquely identifying the second electronic shelf label terminal (1), information indicating relative position between the position at which the second electronic shelf label terminal (1) is installed and the position at which the first electronic shelf label terminal (1) is installed, and the information indicating the position at which the second electronic shelf label terminal (1) is installed.

There is provided a method of operating an electronic shelf label system performed by a gateway wirelessly connected to a plurality of electronic shelf label tags and providing data provided from an electronic shelf label server to the plurality of electronic shelf label tags through a data channel, the method including, interlocking with the electronic shelf label server to thereby be allocated time slots of a wakeup channel, providing information regarding the time slots allocated to the gateway to the plurality of electronic shelf label tags, and receiving an update data request from at least one of the plurality of electronic shelf label tags when the time slots allocated to the gateway have elapsed and providing update data in response to the corresponding update data request.

The electronic shelf label system includes a management server unit storing product information regarding a product, a gateway unit including a plurality of gateways receiving a message containing the product information from the management server unit, and a plurality of electronic shelf label tag units communicating with the gateways, respectively, the plurality of electronic shelf label tag units each including a plurality of electronic shelf label tags receiving the product information from the gateway and displaying the received product information. The management server unit includes a database storing tag information regarding the electronic shelf label tags and product information displayed on the electronic shelf label tags such that the tag information and the product information are linked together.

An electronic shelf label system includes a plurality of electronic shelf labels, plurality of transmitters, and a transmission controller. The transmission controller divides the transmitters into a plurality of communication groups so that each of the communication groups has a collective communication area including at least one of the transmitters, and to control the transmitters in units of the communication groups. The transmission controller also controls all of the transmitters included in one of the communication group, which is determined based on input of position specification information for specifying a position of a worker who is utilizing a portable information processing device, to cause product information of a target product to be transmitted to a target electronic shelf label by one of the transmitters that belongs to the communication group.

The invention discloses an inventory management method. The method comprises establishing an electronic shelf tag system, and entering goods name and quantity information for every electronic shelf tag through a server; when goods are put in inventory, sending control signals to the corresponding electronic shelf tags through the server to perform position indication, and eliminating the position indication through the server after the goods are put in inventory; when the goods are delivered out of inventory, sending control signals to the corresponding electronic shelf tags to perform position indication, and eliminating the position indication after the goods are delivered out of inventory. The invention also discloses an electronic shelf tag for inventory management. The electronic shelf tag comprises a controller, a communication unit, a display unit, a power supply module, a storage, an indicator lamp set and an alarm, wherein the communication unit, the display unit, the power supply module, the storage, the indicator lamp set and the alarm are connected with the controller respectively. The inventory management method can be applied to the field of special goods storage and management, can achieve high-efficiency in-inventory and out-inventory of goods and can issue alarm when moisture or temperature abnormality occurs.

The invention is directed to an adapter (29) for attaching an electronic shelf label (26) to a cantilever (22) of a blister hook (20). The adapter (29) has a housing (30) into which the shelf label (26) is inserted, and a suspension device for pivotal mounting of the housing (30) on a cross-strut (24) provided on the free end of the cantilever (22). The suspension device is a yoke (32) that is connected to the housing (30) and has two pliable sleeves (44, 54), each with a free end that is placed around the cross-strut (24) and is snap-locked onto the yoke (32). The adapter (29) is suitable for nearly universal use on various blister hooks of different size and shape. The housing (30) is angularly adjustable relative to the yoke (32) in order to align the product and price display of the shelf label (26) in the observer's viewing direction.

An electronic label system for displaying prices in stores comprises a central station and a plurality of distributed electronic labels. The central station provides pricing information to the electronic labels that includes assignment instructions linking a calculated price associated with the labels with a price display area.

The invention discloses an electronic goods shelf label system with multi-channel information display. The electronic goods shelf label system comprises a commodity database, an electronic goods shelf label server, an operation server, replay stations and electronic goods shelf labels. The commodity database is used for storing commodity information. The electronic goods shelf label server is connected with the commodity database and used for sending the commodity information to an electronic goods shelf label terminal through the relay stations. The operation server is connected with the relay stations and used for sending operation information to the electronic goods shelf label terminal through the relay stations. The replay stations are connected with the electronic goods shelf label server and the operation server in a wired or wireless mode, connected with the electronic goods shelf labels within a management range and used for updating the commodity information and the operation information of the electronic goods shelf labels. Each electronic goods shelf label comprises a controller, a power supply module connected with the controller, a storage device, a communication part and display parts. The number of the display parts is at least two. The electronic goods shelf label system can simultaneously independently display and update the commodity information and the operation information, so that labor cost is saved and advertisement revenue value is created.

It is an object of the present invention to perform an operation in a store on products which are not registered in a product master. In order to attain the object, an ESL server (10) includes a hard disk (14) memorizing a product master (140) and a link file (141), a bar code reader (17) and a link part (110). In associating a product with any of electronic shelf labels, an operator uses the bar code reader (17) to read out a bar code representing a product code of a product and a bar code representing a device code of an electronic shelf label located near the product. At this time, the link part (110) associates the acquired product specification information (130) with the acquired device specification information (131) to store in the link file (141) whether or not the product designated by the read out product code is registered in the product master (140).

To provide a technique of enabling the low power consumption of an electronic shelf tag. In order to achieve this purpose, in the electronic shelf tags which are arranged corresponding to articles and display the article data on the corresponding articles, a sleep operation for suspending a predetermined function for a predetermined period of time is repeatedly performed at intervals and the predetermined period of time is prolonged if no data is received for a given length of time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide techniques for shortening a time required for establishing a correspondence between an electronic shelf label and a product. In an electronic shelf label system (1), in response to receipt of a correspondence cancellation signal in an electronic shelf label (5), a hardware information screen (S2) including a device code (8d) appears. Thus, in the electronic shelf label (5) in an unlinked state, the device code (8d) is kept being displayed. Accordingly, in a subsequent linking process for establishing a correspondence between the electronic shelf label (5) and a product, a process for causing the electronic shelf label (5) to display the device code (8d) is unnecessary, to thereby significantly shorten a time required for establishing a correspondence between the electronic shelf label (5) and a product.

The electronic shelf label displays, for each size, the inventory quantity, together with commercial item detailed information that includes the commercial item name and the price of each commercial item that is placed at a commercial item shelf position to which the electronic shelf label is attached. The configurations also make it possible to display, for each size, the total inventory quantity indicating the number of commercial items that are not placed on the commercial item shelf but exist in the store as inventory.

The invention discloses a positioning and navigation method in a supermarket based on information fusion. The method employs a positioning and navigation system which is composed of electronic shelf labels, wireless relay nodes, a WiFi route and a server. Each of the electronic shelf labels is composed of a display screen and Bluetooth with a microcontroller; each of the wireless relay nodes is composed of Bluetooth with a microcontroller and a WiFi communication module; the server can send price display information of modified goods, coordinates of the positions of electronic shelf labels and the like to the electronic shelf labels through the WiFi route and the wireless relay nodes; and positioning and navigation APP software is installed in a to-be-positioned mobile phone in advance. The positioning and navigation method provided by the invention employs wireless signal strength range finding and pedestrian dead reckoning, employs particle filter algorithm to realize fusion and positioning on the basis of wireless signal strength range finding and pedestrian dead reckoning and sends price display information of modified goods, coordinates of the positions of electronic shelf labels and the like to the electronic shelf labels through the WiFi route and the wireless relay nodes; so the positioning and navigation method has the advantages of small errors, no accumulative errors, stable signals, accurate positioning and navigation and fast goods searching speed, substantially improves goods searching efficiency of customers and is applicable to large-size supermarkets and shopping places.

The invention discloses an electronic shelf label system comprising two parts of an electronic shelf label and a wireless transmission label controller, and the electronic shelf label and the wireless transmission label controller are communicated through a radio frequency transmit-receive unit. A display random access memory of a display is acquired and modified, and a power source control circuit is added at the wireless label of the electronic shelf label, a microcontroller circuit, a memory circuit and a display circuit. The working states of the electronic shelf label are distinguished, particularly the updating and the dormant remaining states of the electronic shelf label are distinguished according to the work characteristics of the electronic shelf label. Through the power source control circuit which adopts a strategy of power source control, the invention solves the problem of unnecessary electric energy consumption when the electronic shelf label is in a dormant working state, and can remarkably reduce the power consumption of the electronic shelf label and prolong the life of a battery of the electronic shelf label.

A merchandising shelf label holder, particularly for holding or carrying an electronic shelf label (ESL), with an integral protective mechanism, including a bumper to withstand impacts from shopping carts and the like. The bumper includes a substantially semicircular bulbous section extending in a direction away from the shelving and further away from the shelving than the ESL and that curves back toward the shelving with a vertical plate that is in contact with the shelving or extension thereof. The protective mechanism also includes a rear support stop member that engages the label holder when impacted.

The invention relates to a passive non-contact type electronic goods shelf label system. An existing system is high in cost and low in efficiency. The passive non-contact type electronic goods shelf label system comprises a goods information server, a portable read-write device, and a plurality of passive non-contact type electronic goods shelf labels, wherein the passive non-contact type electronic goods shelf labels comprise a radiofrequency electromagnetic field energy harvesting module, a double-interface communication storage, a power management module, a central control unit and a bi-stable state display screen. The portable read-write device comprises a radiofrequency communication module corresponding to the radiofrequency electromagnetic field energy harvesting module and the double-interface communication storage, a communication module which communicates with the goods information server, a power module, an information input module and a display screen, the goods information server runs the goods information management system, and goods information data are stored on a hardware of the goods information server. Batteries do not need to be arranged on the electronic goods shelf labels in the passive non-contact type electronic goods shelf label system, and therefore use and maintenance costs are reduced, update can be conducted without a cable contact method due to using a non-contact method, and the update is convenient and high-efficiency.

Provided are an electronic shelf label (ESL) apparatus using radio frequency identification (RFID) and an operation method of the ESL apparatus. The ESL apparatus may include an ESL tag to be attached to a shelf and a radio tag reader to store, in the ESL tag, details that is received from an ESL server, in response to an article information update request from the ESL server.

The invention discloses a novel electronic shelf label system which is characterized by comprising an electronic shelf label server, base station equipment and a plurality of electronic shelf labels, wherein the electronic shelf label server has a function of monitoring a point-of-sale (POS) settlement system in real time; a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication mode and an Ethernet power supply mode are adopted in the base station equipment and are convenient to implement; the electronic shelf labels display colorful information by using colorful electronic paper; the service life of the electronic shelf labels is prolonged by using a solar battery; meanwhile, each electronic shelf label has an anti-theft function, and can be prevented from being moved illegally or lost.

The invention discloses an updating method of a passive-type electronic goods shelf label system. The updating method comprises the following steps that (1) a label list needing to be updated and update files needing to be updated are acquired from a server by a handheld terminal in a wireless mode and electronic goods shelf labels to be updated are displayed; (2) the positions of the labels to be updated are looked for; (3) the handheld terminal is made to approach the passive-type electronic goods shelf labels to be updated; (4) whether the labels are matched or not is judged, if not, the handheld terminal displays that the labels are not matched, and if yes, the next step is conducted; (5) the passive-type electronic goods shelf labels are updated by the handheld terminal in a short-distance wireless communication mode; (6) after updating is successful, success information is sent to the server by the handheld terminal in a wireless mode. According to the method, energy and update information can be efficiently provided for the passive-type electronic goods shelf labels on the basis of a short distance wireless communication mode.

The invention relates to a visible light communication based intelligent electronic shelf label system and an application method thereof. The system comprises a server, a transmitter and a receiver; the server is used for acquiring label information with label ID (identity) and sending the label information according to the label ID; the transmitter is used for receiving the label information with the label ID sent by the server after establishing communication with the server, converting the label information into a corresponding visible light signal and sending the visible light signal; the receiver is used for receiving the visible light signal sent by the transmitter, converting the visible light signal, generating to-be-displayed label information according to the label ID and displaying the to-be-displayed label information. The system has high anti-jamming capability, so that stability and reliability in information transmission are guaranteed.

An electronic shelf tag system is provided with a feature in which time necessary for making electronic shelf tags correspond to articles can be shortened. When an electronic tag (5) receives a correspondence releasing signal, an electronic shelf tag system (1) displays a hardware information screen (S2) including an article code (8d) in response to the releasing signal. Thus, an unlinked state electronic shelf tag (5) maintains a continuously displaying state of its article code (8d). Therefore, no work is necessary for the electronic tag (5) to display the article code (8d) in a link work to make the electronic shelf tag (5) correspond to articles, so that time necessary for making electronic shelf tags correspond to articles can be remarkably shortened.

The invention discloses an energy-saving operating method of electronic goods shelf labels. The energy-saving operating method is applied to the electronic goods shelf labels and is a method for message exchanging and operating state switching through a wireless network and a computer server. The method includes that a dormancy time period is set for each electronic goods shelf label of a same wireless local area network or a wireless personal area network, each electronic goods shelf label in a working state is enabled to enter in a dormancy state after communication with the computer server of the network where the electronic goods shelf label is positioned and to reenter the working state and establish connection with the computer server after completion of the dormancy time period, and the dormancy time periods can dynamically change so as to avoid completion caused by the fact that the electronic goods shelf labels enter the dormancy state at the same time. By the method for performing message exchanging and setting operating states of the electronic goods shelf labels through the wireless network, energy consumption of the electronic goods shelf labels can be effectively lowered.

The invention discloses an electronic goods shelf label based on an FPGA. A 2.4G wireless communication module, a high-resolution electrophoresis type electronic paper display screen, a core controller based on a low-power-consumption FPGA chip, a lithium cell, a power supply circuit, a solar cell panel, an external DC charging module, a temperature-humidity detecting module, an alarming module and a PSRAM display buffer are integrated. Commodity information such as prices, sales promotion and manufacturing factories, one-dimensional bar codes and two-dimensional bar codes of various commodities can be displayed in extremely-high resolution, corresponding commodity inventory information can be displayed, zero power consumption can be nearly achieved, relevant content renewal can be achieved, a brand new and advanced price renewing method is provided for retailing merchants of similar supermarkets, and meanwhile an interface of a commercial POS system is reserved, seamless joint can be achieved conveniently, and an on-line checking function is achieved. The auxiliary temperature-humidity detecting module can monitor environment temperature and humidity in real time, and the alarming module can give an alarm under abnormal situations timely.