Patent Application
20130168444
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of labeling products, particularly to an electronic tag, a method for updating the content displayed on the electronic tag and a electronic tag system.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrophoretic displays have low power consumption because of the bistable characteristic and the visual aspect can be maintained without needing a continuously applied voltage. Because of such advantages, an electronic price tag employing such electrophoretic display is used in order to provide price information that can be modified easily and without the requirement of replacing physical price tags on goods each time the price of the goods is changed. The price information and other contents displayed on the electronic price tag can be updated via radio frequency identification (RFID).
The electronic price tag is passively updated by a server or external reader via RFID, the electronic price tag cannot actively get the update information from the server. Furthermore, the transmission performance of the RFID is less than 5 meters, the electronic price tags of related art are not suitable for large stores or rooms with goods dispersed over a large area. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”
Referring to
Referring to
The host 80 may be a computer or a server, the host includes a database recording a number of item data of articles. The item data includes the barcode code, price, name, production date or other information of the articles. The host 80 receives the barcode code sent by the electronic tag 110, and determines there is a barcode code stored in a database of the host matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 100. If yes, the host 80 obtains an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database, and sends the updated content to the electronic tag 100. The updated content is the item data of the article associated with the barcode code determined by the host 80.
The wireless communication unit 40 of the electronic tag 110 receives the updated content, the E-paper driving unit 50 drives the E-paper screen 10 to display the updated content. In detail, the E-paper driving unit 50 drives the E-paper screen 10 to display the item data of the article including the barcode code, price, name, production date and other information.
Different articles have different barcodes, the host 80 searches the database to determine whether there is a barcode stored in the database matching with the received code. With such configuration, the electronic tag 110 can rapidly and accurately get the updated content that corresponds to the barcode code obtained by the barcode scanner 31 and display the updated content on the E-paper screen 10, to update the original contents.
Referring to
In step S1, receiving a barcode code using the electronic tag 100. The barcode scanner 31 is capable of scanning the barcode of the article and sends the barcode code to the electronic tag 100, the barcode input interface 30 of the electronic tag 100 receives the barcode code of the article sent by the barcode scanner 31.
In step S2, sending the barcode code to the host 80 from the electronic tag 100. The wireless communication unit 40 of the electronic tag 100 sends the barcode code to the host 80.
In step S3, determining whether there is a barcode code stored in a database of the host 80 matches with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 100 using the host 80, if yes, go to step S4; if not, the process ends. The host 80 receives the barcode code sent by the electronic tag 100, and determines whether there is a barcode code stored in the database of the host 80 matching with the received barcode code sent from the electronic tag 100.
In step S4, obtaining an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database and sending the updated content to the electronic tag 100 from the host 80. The host 80 obtains an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database, and sends the updated content to the electronic tag 100.
In step S5, displaying the updated content on the electronic tag 100. The wireless communication unit 40 of the electronic tag 110 receives the updated content, the E-paper driving unit 50 drives the E-paper screen 10 to display the updated content.
In other embodiments, the barcode scanner 31 and the electronic tag 100 can be integrated together, namely, a barcode scanner module is designed into the electronic tag 100.
The barcode scanner 312 scans a barcode of article and sends the barcode code to the electronic tag 102. The electronic tag 102 receives the barcode code via the barcode input interface 32, the wireless communication unit 42 sends the barcode code and the media access control address of the electronic tag 102 to the host 82.
As in the first embodiment, the host 82 may be a computer or a server including a database with a number of item data of articles stored therein. The host 80 determines whether there is a barcode code stored in the database matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 102. The host 82 obtains an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database and sends the updated content to the electronic tag 102 according to the media access control address of the electronic tag.
Referring to
In step S21, receiving a barcode code using the electronic tag 102. The barcode input interface 32 of the electronic tag 102 receives the barcode code of the article sent by the barcode scanner 312.
In step S22, sending the barcode code and a media access control address of the electronic tag 102 to the host 82 from the electronic tag 102. The wireless communication unit 42 of the electronic tag 100 sends the code and a media access control address of the electronic tag 102 to the host 82.
In step S23, determining whether there is a barcode stored in a database of the host 80 matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 102 using the host 80, if yes, go to step S24; if not, the process ends. The host 82 receives the barcode code sent by the electronic tag 102, and determines whether there is a barcode of stored in the database matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 102.
In step S24, obtaining an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database. The host 80 obtains an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database.
In step S25, sending the updated content to the electronic tag 102 from the host 82 according to the media access control address of the electronic tag 102. The host 82 sending the updated content to the electronic tag 102 according to the media access control address of the electronic tag 102.
In step S26, displaying the updated content on the electronic tag 102. The wireless communication unit 42 of the electronic tag 102 receives the updated content, the E-paper driving unit 52 drives the E-paper screen 12 to display the updated content.
The electronic tag 103 receives a barcode code sent by the barcode scanner 313 via the barcode input interface 33, and the wireless communication unit 43 sends the barcode code and a predetermined identification code to the host 83 simultaneously. In this embodiment, the predetermined identification code may be a dynamic password, in other embodiments, the verification code can be a fixed password.
As in the first embodiment, the host 83 includes a database recording data concerning a number of articles. The host 83 receives the barcode code and the predetermined identification code sent by the electronic tag 103. The host 83 determines whether there is a barcode stored in the database matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag 103. The host 83 obtains an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database and sends the updated content and an identification code to the electronic tag 103.
The wireless communication unit 43 of the electrical tag 103 receives the updated content associated with the barcode code and an identification code sent by and from the host 83, the wireless communication unit 43 determines whether the received identification code matches with the predetermined identification code, if so, the E-paper driving unit 53 drives the E-paper screen 13 to display the updated content; if not, the E-paper driving unit 53 drives the E-paper screen 13 to display an error an error warning.
Referring to
In step S31, receiving a barcode code using the electronic tag 103.
In step S32, sending the barcode and a predetermined identification code to the host 83 from the electronic tag 103.
In step S33, determining whether there is a barcode code stored in a database of the host matching with the barcode code sent from the electronic tag using the host, if yes, the process going to step S4; if not, the process ending.
In step S34, obtaining an updated content associated with the barcode code stored in the database and sending the updated content and an identification code to the electronic tag 103 from the host 83.
In step S35, determining whether the received identification code matches with the predetermined identification code using the electronic tag 103, if so, go to step S36; if not, go to step S37.
In step S36, displaying the updated content on the electronic tag 103.
In step S37, displaying an error warning on the electronic tag 103.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201110453371.1 | Dec 2011 | CN | national |
