Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural display systems – Tiling or modular adjacent displays
Patent
1995-08-02
1999-02-09
Hjerpe, Richard A.
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural display systems
Tiling or modular adjacent displays
345 2, 34082535, 235383, G09G 500
Patent
active
058700676
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to electrical data and power transmission, and is particularly concerned to provide an improved method of distributing data or power or both to electronic shelf edge information display units as used, for example, in supermarkets.
There are a number of known methods that may be used to disseminate information from a central transmission source either directly to a plurality of such display units, or to a number of intermediate nodes that each control several slave shelf edge units. One of these methods is used in the system described by Sundelin in U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,886, where a number of parallel conductors are provided along the shelf edge and act as data bus lines to which the display units make direct electrical contact. Data is sent to the display units through the busses by a direct galvanic connection between the bus and the shelf edge display unit.
One practical disadvantage of galvanic connection systems is that the busses can easily become contaminated, and thus a good electrical connection may not be obtainable. Moreover, the process of retro-fitting an existing retail outlet with suitable shelf edge bus conductors is expensive in time and materials. Since most retail outlets presently have paper or card price labels carried on the shelf edges, there will already exist in most locations a perfectly good shelf edge carrier strip for paper display labels which would have to be discarded in favour of a new installation to carry the necessary bus wires. Such installations will be relatively expensive to manufacture and purchase, when compared to the simple paper carrier devices, due to their inherent complexity.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a contactless means of sending power and/or data to an electronic shelf edge display unit, and to provide a simple and low cost installation overcoming many of the drawbacks associated with the conventional arrangements. A further objective is to provide a means of adapting an existing shelf edge price labelling arrangement intended for paper or strip shaped pricing labels to accommodate electronic shelf edge display units.
According to a first aspect of the invention, an information display system for a retail outlet in which items placed on shelves are selected by a purchaser, and wherein information relating to the items is shown on electronic display screens incorporated in display units mounted along the edge of the shelf, the system comprising a central data transmission source providing addressed data messages to a data distribution network, and the data distribution network comprising a ribbon-like conductor extending along the edge of the shelf and insulated therefrom, and the display units each having a capacitor plate positioned in close non-contact relation to the ribbon-like conductor.
Preferably the system comprises a pair of parallel ribbon-like conductors extending along the shelf edge, each display unit having a corresponding pair of capacitor plates. It is also foreseen that three or more ribbon-like conductors may extend along the shelf edge, and each display unit may have a corresponding number of capacitor plates.
According to a second aspect of the invention, an existing shelf edge price display arrangement, wherein a carrier holds a strip of paper or the like which extends along the shelf edge, can be converted for use with electronic display units mounted on the shelf edge by means of a device comprising a ribbon of insulating material with conductive strips applied thereto and constructed so that it can easily be placed in or on the carrier. The ribbon may be placed in the carrier either instead of, or in addition to, the paper labels. The electronic display units are then mounted to the existing carrier in appropriate juxtaposition to the ribbon. Preferably, the presence of the conductive strips does not affect the existing shelf edge carrier or its conventional use for paper labels. Since it is possible to manufacture transparent conductors on transparent ribbon material, paper labe
REFERENCES:
patent: 4002886 (1977-01-01), Sundelin
patent: 4390877 (1983-06-01), Curran
patent: 4500880 (1985-02-01), Gomersall et al.
patent: 4674235 (1987-06-01), Inoue
patent: 4766295 (1988-08-01), Davis et al.
patent: 5111196 (1992-05-01), Hunt
patent: 5198644 (1993-03-01), Pfeiffer et al.
patent: 5537126 (1996-07-01), Kayser et al.
patent: 5583525 (1996-12-01), Nekomoto et al.
BSC Developments Ltd.
Hjerpe Richard A.
Nguyen Francis Nghiem
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