Electronic rack labeling system

Claim 2

An electronic rack labeling system comprising: a rack for displaying a plurality of different kinds of articles at a plurality of respective article display locations extending along the length of said rack, each article display location having a length selected in view of the articles to be displayed at such article display location; information display means extending along substantially the length of a front panel of said rack for displaying an electronic display of article information, including identification information identifying articles displayed on said rack at said plurality of article display locations and price information indicating the price of the identified articles; preparing means for preparing article information about each of the different kinds of articles displayed on said rack for display on said information display means; control means for determining an information display position adjacent each article display location for display of the prepared article information about the articles displayed at such article display location; and output means for applying a signal indicative of the determined information display positions and the prepared article information to said information display means for an electronic display of the prepared article information for each of the kinds of displayed articles at the determined information display positions for such kinds of articles.

Claim 3

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 1, wherein said preparing means prepares at least some of the article information as image information to cause said display means to display images.

Claim 4

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 1, wherein said rack includes a plurality of shells and said display means includes an electronic display member on a front panel of each shell.

Claim 5

An electronic rack labeling system comprising: a display rack having a shell for displaying a plurality of different kinds of articles at a plurality of respective article display locations extending along the length of the shell, each article display location having a length selected in view of the articles to be displayed at such article display location, and having electronic information display means extending along substantially the length of a front panel of said shell, on an information display device; article information management means for storing article information about articles displayed on said shell; preparing means for preparing article information about each of the different kinds of articles displayed on said shell on the basis of the article information stored in said article information management means, the prepared article information including identification information identifying articles displayed on said shell and price information indicating the price of the identified articles; determining means for determining an information display position on said information display device adjacent each article display location for electronic display of the prepared article information about the articles displayed at such article display location; and control means for controlling the electronic display of the prepared article information at the display positions determined by said determining means.

Claim 6

An electronic rack labeling system comprising: a display rack having a shell for displaying a plurality of different kinds of articles at a plurality of respective article display locations extending along the length of the shell, each article display location having a length selected in view of the articles to be displayed at such article display location, and having electronic information display means extending along substantially the length of a front panel of said shell, on an information display device; article information management means for storing article information about articles displayed on said shell; preparing means for preparing article information about each of the different kinds of articles displayed on said shell on the basis of the article information stored in said article information management means, the prepared article information including identification information identifying articles displayed on said shell and price information indicating the price of the identified articles; determining means for determining an information display position on said information display device adjacent each article display location for electronic display of the prepared article information about the articles displayed at such article display location; and control means for controlling the electronic display of the prepared article information at the display positions determined by said determining means.

Claim 7

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 4, wherein: the article information further includes position information indicating display positions of the articles; and said determining means changes the display positions of the prepared article information on said display device when the position information indicates that the display positions of the articles are changed.

Claim 8

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 5 wherein said control means causes the simultaneous display of both the positions of the articles before change and the positions of the articles after change.

Claim 9

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 4, wherein: said preparing means changes the price information when the prices of the articles are changed; and said control means causes the simultaneous display of both the prices of the articles before change and the prices of the articles after change.

Claim 10

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 7, wherein the changed price information includes identification of the changed price as a discount price.

Claim 11

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 4, wherein the article information further includes position information indicating display positions of the articles.

Claim 12

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 9, wherein said control means causes the simultaneous display of both the positions of the articles before change and the positions of the articles after change.

Claim 13

An electronic rack labeling system according to claim 4, wherein said identification includes names of the articles displayed.

Claim 16

A method of displaying article information according to claim 12, further comprising: (e) changing the stored position information when the display positions of the articles on the rack are changed.

Claim 17

A method of displaying article information according to claim 12, wherein the article information further includes feature information indicating features of the articles.

Claim 18

A method of displaying article information according to claim 14, wherein the feature information includes indications of discounts for the articles.

Claim 19

A method of displaying article information according to claim 15, wherein the feature information further includes the prices of the articles before the discounts and the prices of the articles after the discounts.