Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Including point of sale terminal or electronic cash register
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-11-13
Chilcot, Richard (Department: 2167)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Including point of sale terminal or electronic cash register
C705S016000, C705S023000, C340S870030, C235S383000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317724
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic price label (EPL) systems, and more specifically to a method of temporarily changing an EPL display sequence.
EPL systems typically include a plurality of EPLs for merchandise items in a transaction establishment. EPLs typically display the price of corresponding merchandise items on store shelves and are typically attached to a rail along the leading edge of the shelves. A transaction establishment may contain thousands of EPLs to display the prices of the merchandise items. The EPLs are coupled to a central server from where information about the EPLs is typically maintained in an EPL data file. Price information displayed by the EPLs is obtained from a price look-up (PLU) data file and stored within an EPL price change record.
EPLs are also being used to display more than just price information. Retailers are using EPLs to display promotional information in order to more effectively market associated merchandise items. During off-peak hours, retailers display inventory and status information for the benefit of employees. EPLs may be programmed to display more than one type of information in sequences using flashing and scheduling techniques.
However, EPLs have limited memory capacity for storing the many types of information which must be displayed. For example, a typical EPL has four data registers which can simultaneously store, at most, two types of information. Therefore, it would be desirable for providing a method of temporarily changing display sequences and returning to previously display sequences despite the memory capacity limitation of an EPL.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a method of temporarily changing an EPL display sequence is provided.
The method includes the steps of
(a) determining a first sequence for displaying first pieces of information by an EPL;
(b) determining a second sequence by which the EPL currently displays second pieces of information;
(c) if at least one of the pieces of first information is different from the pieces of second information, determining whether the one piece replaces another piece of second information;
if the one piece does not replace the other piece, obtaining the one piece of information;
if the one piece does replace the other piece, obtaining the one piece of information and storing the other piece and its memory location;
(d) sending a first change sequence message including the one piece of information;
(e) displaying the first pieces of information in accordance with the first sequence for a predetermined time period;
(f) creating a second change sequence message addressed to the EPL containing a command to execute the second sequence, including the other piece of second information and its corresponding memory location if it was replaced by the one piece of first information; and
(g) sending the second change sequence message to the EPL.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method of temporarily changing an EPL display sequence.
It is another object of the present invention to replace a display sequence and display data, if necessary, in memory.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of displaying a different type of information under a different display sequence and returning to the previous display sequence and its previously displayed information.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of displaying a different type of information under a different display sequence and returning to the previous display sequence and its previously displayed information in order to compensate for insufficient memory capacity in EPLs.
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Automatic I.D. News. v. 13. n 8, p. 54., Jul. 1997, “Consumers to check out technology to save time at check-out”.*
PR Newswire, Jan. 9, 1997, “Pricer AB and Telxon Coporation to Cooperate in Technology Development and Marketing”.
Goodwin III John C.
Zimmerman Terry L.
Chilcot Richard
Martin Paul W.
NCR Corporation
Priest & Goldstein PLLC
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