Patent ID: 7236473

Claim:
A communication method for an electronic shelf label (ESL) system utilizing frames divided into a plurality of timeslots, the method comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting a find message to an ESL by a host computer, said find message transmitted by a plurality of communication base stations (CBSs) utilizing every timeslot of a frame so that each CBS repeats the find message across all timeslots of a frame in order to insure that each CBS will transmit a find message in the timeslot being used by the ESL; (b) logging which CBS or CBSs received a response returned by the ESL in response to the find message, and logging the timeslot in which the response was received; (c) determining a new CBS assignment and a new timeslot assignment for the ESL; (d) transmitting an assign command to the ESL utilizing the timeslot in which the response was received instructing the ESL to listen for messages on the new timeslot.