Electronic price tag, electronic price tag system and method of updating electronic price tag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020005683-A1
Application number	US-201916395573-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 26, 2019
Priority date	Jul 2, 2018
Publication date	Jan 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic price tag, an electronic price tag system, and a method of updating an electronic price tag. The electronic price tag includes a reed switch sensor and a processor. The reed switch sensor is configured to sense a magnetic field adjacent to the electronic price tag to generate an output signal. The processor is configured to: receive the output signal of the reed switch sensor, convert the output signal into information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal, and send the information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic price tag, comprising a reed switch sensor and a processor, wherein
the reed switch sensor is configured to sense a magnetic field adjacent to the electronic price tag to generate an output signal; and the processor is configured to: receive the output signal of the reed switch sensor, convert the output signal into information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal, and send the information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal.

2 . The electronic price tag according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a first signal outputted by the reed switch sensor, convert the first signal into information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal, and send the information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal; or receive a second signal outputted by the reed switch sensor, convert the second signal into information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal, and send the information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal.

3 . The electronic price tag according to claim 2 , wherein
the first signal is a signal generated by the reed switch sensor in case of sensing the magnetic field; and the second signal is a signal generated by the reed switch sensor in case of not sensing the magnetic field.

4 . The electronic price tag according to claim 2 , wherein the reed switch sensor is a normally-open reed switch sensor; and a level of the first signal is lower than a level of the second signal.

5 . The electronic price tag according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display screen configured to display item information under a control of the processor.

6 . The electronic price tag according to claim 5 , wherein the display screen comprises an electronic paper screen.

7 . The electronic price tag according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a communication apparatus configured to receive item information sent by a server and send the item information to the processor.

8 . The electronic price tag according to claim 7 , wherein the communication apparatus comprises a radio-frequency transceiver, and the radio-frequency transceiver is configured to communicate with the server based on a 2.4G wireless communication protocol.

9 . The electronic price tag according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory unit configured to store character library information for displaying item information.

10 . An electronic price tag system, comprising a shelf rail and the electronic price tag according to claim 1 , wherein
a magnet is disposed on the shelf rail; and the reed switch sensor is configured to generate the output signal under an action of the magnet in a case where the electronic price tag is mounted on the shelf rail.

11 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 10 , wherein the reed switch sensor is configured to be closed under the action of the magnet to generate the output signal, so that the processor converts the output signal into information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal.

12 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a handheld terminal configured to: acquire an identifier of the electronic price tag and an item identifier on a corresponding shelf, bind the identifier of the electronic price tag with the item identifier to generate binding information, and send the binding information to the server; and the server is configured to: receive the binding information, acquire the identifier of the electronic price tag and the item identifier, and send item information corresponding to the item identifier to the electronic price tag.

13 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 12 , wherein the electronic price tag is configured to receive and display the item information.

14 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 12 , wherein the electronic price tag is configured to:
send information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal to the server in a case where the reed switch sensor is closed; and send information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal to the server in a case where the reed switch sensor is disconnected.

15 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 10 , wherein the electronic price tag is configured to:
send information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal to the server, based on the output signal generated by the reed switch sensor in a case where the reed switch sensor senses the magnet; and send information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal to the server, based on the output signal generated by the reed switch sensor in a case where the reed switch sensor does not sense the magnet.

16 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 13 , wherein the electronic price tag is configured to: send information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal or information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal to the server in real time.

17 . The electronic price tag system according to claim 16 , wherein the server is configured to:
send an alarm message to an alarm device in response to receiving the information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal, so as to trigger the alarm device to give an alarm.

18 . A method of updating an electronic price tag, comprising:
acquiring by a handheld terminal an identifier of the electronic price tag and an item identifier on a corresponding shelf, binding the identifier of the electronic price tag with the item identifier to generate binding information, and sending the binding information to a server; receiving by a server the binding information, acquiring the identifier of the electronic price tag and the item identifier, and sending item information corresponding to the item identifier to the electronic price tag; and receiving and displaying by the electronic price tag the item information, and sending information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal or information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal to the server in real time, wherein the electronic price tag comprises a reed switch sensor and a processor, the reed switch sensor is configured to sense a magnetic field adjacent to the electronic price tag to generate an output signal, and the processor is configured to: receive the output signal of the reed switch sensor, convert the output signal into information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal, and send the information indicating whether the electronic price tag is normal.

19 . The method of updating the electronic price tag according to claim 18 , wherein
the electronic price tag sends information indicating that the electronic price tag is normal to the server in a case where the reed switch sensor is closed, and the electronic price tag sends information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal to the server in a case where the reed switch sensor is disconnected.

20 . The method of updating the electronic price tag according to claim 18 , further comprising:
sending by the server an alarm message to an alarm device in response to receiving the information indicating that the electronic price tag is abnormal, so as to trigger the alarm device to given an alarm.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Guan Hongtao
• Zhao Kai
• Li Tailiang

Classifications

• H04W4/35 Primary

  for the management of goods or merchandise · CPC title

• G09F3/208 Primary

  Electronic labels, Labels integrating electronic displays · CPC title

• G06K19/07758

  arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag · CPC title

• G09F3/02

  Forms or constructions (layered products B32B) · CPC title

• G06K17/0029 Primary

  the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers · CPC title