Patent ID: 7918395
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: G06F,G06Q,G09F,G09G

Abstract:
1. An electronic product identification and price display system for installation in a retail environment storing a plurality of consumer products on shelves, said electronic product identification and price display system comprising: (A) a plurality of remote activator modules installed within the space of said retail environment, and in communication with and receiving instructions from, a retail-based system determining the price of each said consumer product in said retail environment, as well as promotional information for each said consumer product or group of consumer products stored in said retail environment; wherein each said remote activator module sends and transmits electromagnetic signals within the space of said retail environment; and (B) a plurality of remotely-updateable electronic-ink labels applied to a plurality of consumer products stored in said retail environment, wherein each said remotely-updateable electronic-ink label applied to one said consumer product includes: (B1) an addressable display assembly including a layer of electronic ink including a bi-stable non-volatile imaging material disposed between an activation layer and a transparent electrode layer located above said layer of electronic ink, for activating said layer of electronic ink at particular locations to display graphical indicia on the surface of said addressable display assembly, wherein said graphical indicia represents the price of the consumer product to which said electronic-ink label is applied and/or promotional information for the consumer product, and wherein said layer of electronic ink does not require electrical power to maintain the display of said graphical indicia; (B2) an antenna structure for sending and/or receiving electromagnetic signals carrying information corresponding to at least one of instructions, programs, data and graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display assembly; (B3) an integrated circuit structure having (i) a storage element for storing said instructions, programs and data, and (ii) a programmed processor having access to said storage element, and using said programs to process said instructions and data for (i) determining the graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display assembly, (ii) controlling and coordinating operation of said addressable display assembly, and (iii) generating output signals for instructing said addressable display assembly to display the determined graphical indicia; wherein consumer product identification information is stored in said storage element, and uniquely identifies said consumer product to which said remotely-updateable electronic-ink label is applied, among said plurality of consumer products stored on said retail environment; (B4) a signal transceiving structure, operably connected to said integrated circuit structure and said antenna structure, for transmitting electromagnetic signals from said antenna structure, to at least one remote activator module, and for receiving electromagnetic signals from at least one said remote activator module, using said antenna structure; wherein said received electromagnetic signals carry information corresponding to at least one of said programs, said instructions, said data and said graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display assembly; and (B5) an on-board battery power structure, operably connected to said integrated circuit structure, for supplying electrical power to said integrated circuit structure; wherein said addressable display assembly is responsive to electromagnetic signals received from at least one said remote activator module by said antenna structure and said signal transceiving structure; wherein said integrated circuit structure is responsive to electromagnetic signals received from at least one of said remote activator modules, by said antenna structure and said signal transceiving structure; wherein said addressable display assembly is responsive to said output signals generated by said programmed processor, to display the determined graphical indicia; and wherein said antenna structure, said integrated circuit structure, said signal transceiving structure, said on-board battery power structure are arranged and stacked together behind and within the spatial extent of said addressable display assembly so as to form said remotely-updateable electronic-ink label having a stacked construction.