Patent ID: 7627283

Claim:
A method for wirelessly adjusting information displayed on a plurality of electronic signs each coupled to a satellite transceiver node and communicably coupled to an access node; comprising the steps of: receiving data related to adjusting sales information displayed on one or more of the plurality of electronic signs; transmitting wirelessly an outbound communication message from the access node to one or more of a plurality of satellite nodes logically distributed around the access node, wherein one or more of the satellite transceiver nodes is configured with an electronic sign and wherein one or more of the satellite transceiver nodes may be configured without an electronic sign; and communicating an acknowledgement message from the intended recipient satellite transceiver node to the access node upon adjusting the sales information displayed on the electronic sign coupled to the intended recipient satellite transceiver node; wherein the wirelessly transmitted outbound communication message is repeated by one or more satellite transceiver nodes prior to being received by the intended recipient satellite transceiver node; wherein wirelessly transmitting the outbound communication message includes a determination of whether the outbound communication message includes a common route through the one or more satellite transceiver nodes with at least one other outbound communication message and wherein in response to a determination that the outbound communication message includes a common route with at least one other outbound communication message, a consolidated message is communicated along the common route; wherein a reply is communicated from the access node to a central computer over a wide area network containing data corresponding to the acknowledgement message so that the central computer can verify that the electronic sign coupled to the intended recipient satellite transceiver node has adjusted sales information displayed on the electronic sign; wherein the outbound communication message is received at an intended recipient satellite transceiver node configured with an electronic sign from the access node, and wherein the instructions contained in the outbound communication message are executed by the satellite transceiver node so that the electronic sign coupled to the intended recipient satellite transceiver node adjusts the sales information displayed on the electronic sign.