BATTERY-OPERATED ELECTRONIC LABEL

Abstract

An electronic label with a housing, that comprises a front wall and a rear wall and a side wall, wherein the front wall comprises a, particularly reflective, screen, and wherein by contrast to the front wall and rear wall, the side wall is constructed to be light-conducting and wherein a light source for emitting the light that can be generated using it through the side wall is positioned inside the housing, and wherein the side wall is inclined towards the front wall.

Claims

1. An electronic label (1) with a housing (2), which comprises a front wall (3) and a rear wall (4) and at least one side wall (5), wherein the front wall (3) comprises a, particularly reflective, screen (3A), and wherein by contrast to the front wall (3) and rear wall (4), the side wall (5) is constructed to be light-conducting, and wherein a light source (19A, 29B) for emitting the light that can be generated using it through the side wall (5) is positioned inside the housing (2), and wherein the side wall (5) is inclined towards the front wall (3).

2. The electronic label (1) according to claim 1, wherein the side wall (5) comprises an energy storage device holder (7) protruding into the interior of the housing (2), wherein the storage device holder (7) is designed to hold at least one electrical energy storage device (8), particularly a battery or a rechargeable battery, particularly preferably a button cell battery, at an intended position in the housing (2).

3. The electronic label (1) according to claim 2, wherein the side wall (5) and the energy storage device holder (7) are constructed in one piece and to be transparent.

4. The electronic label (1) according to claim 2, wherein the energy storage device holder (7) is free from separate clamps or springs or electrical contacts and the like.

5. The electronic label (1) according to claim 2, wherein the side wall (5) with its energy storage device holder (7) is designed to be drawer-like.

6. The electronic label (1) according to claim 2, wherein the housing (2) comprises a shaft (9) running between the front wall (3) and the rear wall (4) for accommodating the energy storage device holder (7).

7. The electronic label (1) according to claim 2, wherein the rear wall (4) comprises a protrusion (10), which surrounds an energy storage device accommodating region, which is dimensioned in such a manner that the energy storage device holder (7) together with the energy storage device (8) can be accommodated therein.

8. The electronic label (1) according to claim 7, wherein the rear wall (4) comprises a recess (12) adjacent to the side wall (5) and a part of the energy storage device holder (7) is exposed there.

9. The electronic label (1) according to claim 8, wherein the protrusion (10) of the rear wall (4) enclosing the energy storage device accommodating region (7) is constructed adjacently to the recess (12).

10. The electronic label (1) according to claim 6, wherein the protrusion (10) comprises a tie guide (16) for guiding a tie (20), which can be inserted into the tie guide (16), along the outer contour of the protrusion (10).

11. The electronic label (1) according to claim 10, wherein the tie guide (16) leaves the shaft (9) open and comprises tubes (17, 18) on both sides of the shaft (9).

12. The electronic label (1) according to claim 11, wherein the tie guide (16) runs between the two tubes (17, 18) in an arcuate, preferably part-circular, particularly preferably semi-circular manner, and/or in a manner such that it is constructed to be open towards the outside.

13. The electronic label (1) according to claim 1, that comprises battery-operable electronics (25) for actuating the light source (29A, 29B).

14. The electronic label (1) according to claim 3, that comprises at least two LEDs positioned at different places as light source (29A, 29B), with the aid of which light can be fed from various sides into the energy storage device holder (7).

15. A system, that comprises: an electronic label (1) according to claim 10, and an anti-theft device, and a tie (20), which connects the electronic label (1) to the anti-theft device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0046] The invention is explained once more in detail in the following with reference to the attached figures on the basis of exemplary embodiments, to which the invention is not restricted, however. In the various figures, identical components are provided with identical reference numbers. In the figures:

[0047] FIGS. 1-2 schematically show an electronic label according to the invention in two oblique front views;

[0048] FIG. 3 schematically shows the label viewed from below;

[0049] FIG. 4 schematically shows a view of the label with a viewing direction onto its front wall;

[0050] FIG. 5 schematically shows the label from above with a viewing direction onto the side wall;

[0051] FIG. 6 schematically shows a side view of the label as viewed from one side;

[0052] FIG. 7 schematically shows a view of the label with a viewing direction onto its rear wall;

[0053] FIG. 8 schematically shows a further side view of the label as viewed from the other side;

[0054] FIG. 9 schematically shows the label with a viewing direction onto the front wall with a partially pulled out combination part consisting of the side wall and an energy storage device holder;

[0055] FIG. 10 schematically shows the label according to FIG. 9 with a viewing direction onto the rear wall;

[0056] FIGS. 11-15 schematically show the combination part in various views;

[0057] FIG. 16 schematically shows a housing shaft of the label, which is open at the top;

[0058] FIG. 17 schematically shows an arrangement of electronic components of the label.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0059] An electronic label 1 according to the invention, termed a label 1 for short in the following, is illustrated in different views in FIGS. 1-10. The label 1 comprises a housing 2, which is formed from a front wall 3, a rear wall 4 and a side wall 5.

[0060] A constituent of the front wall 3 is also a reflective screen 3A, which is inserted into a recess of the material of the front wall 3 adapted to the dimensions thereof.

[0061] The three walls 3-5 are manufactured from plastic (e.g. in an injection moulding method), wherein the front wall 3 and the rear wall 4 are produced from an opaque or non-transparent (if appropriate also coloured) plastic. By contrast, the side wall 5 is manufactured from a transparent plastic, that is to say a light-conducting plastic. Furthermore, the front wall 3 and the rear wall 4 except for the upper end thereof are constructed in a bowl-shaped manner, so that they realize a large part of the housing 2 as half shells that are joined together.

[0062] The side wall 5, which closes or delimits the two housing shells of the housing 2, which are joined together and consist of the front wall 3 and the rear wall 4, at the top, is a constituent of a combination part 6 visualized in FIGS. 11 to 15 from various perspectives. Next to the side wall 5, this combination part 6 comprises an energy storage device holder 7, which adjoins the same in an angled manner, which is realized as a button-cell battery holder, into which a button cell battery 8 can be inserted (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Just like the side wall 5, the energy storage device holder 7 is realized from the said light-conducting plastic and constructed in one piece with the side wall 5, that is to say produced in one and the same production step. The combination part 6 is essentially constructed in a drawer-like manner, in order to place the button cell battery 8 inside the housing 2.

[0063] The two housing shells 3 and 4 of the housing 2 close the housing 2 to the left and to the right side and at the bottom, that is to say at its underside and leave an entrance into a shaft 9, which is visible in FIG. 9, open at the top. The combination part 6 can be inserted into or pulled out of this shaft 9 in a drawer-like manner. By inserting the combination part 6, the button cell battery 8 can be placed in the housing 2 at its intended position, where it is used for electrically supplying the entire electronics (not illustrated in detail, see reference number 25 in FIG. 17, however) of the label 1. By pulling out the combination part 6, the button cell battery 8 can be removed from the housing 2 and, if appropriate, replaced. In this context, reference is made to FIGS. 9 and 10, which show the housing 2 with the partially pulled-out combination part 6, into which a button cell battery 8 is inserted, with a viewing direction onto the front wall 3 and with a viewing direction onto the rear wall 4.

[0064] Furthermore, it is highlighted that the side wall 5 is inclined towards the front wall 3 at an angle of approx. 10°. This can for example be seen well for example in FIGS. 1, 4, 6 and 8. Also, this can be drawn analogously from FIGS. 12, 13, 14 and 15, where the combination part 6 is illustrated detached from the housing 2 and the inclined orientation of the side wall 5 can be seen in relation to the energy storage device holder 7. In order to obtain a flush closure of the two housing shells 3 and 4 with the underside of the side wall 5 at the top, the course of the upper edge of the front wall 3 and the rear wall 4 is correspondingly adapted to the incline of the side wall 5.

[0065] With reference to the FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6-8 and 10 and also 16, it is established that the rear wall 4 furthermore comprises a protrusion 10, which encloses an energy storage device accommodating region in the interior of the housing 2 from the rear side, that is to say the rear wall side. This protrusion 10 forms the rear delimitation of the previously mentioned shaft 9. In addition, the rear wall 4 shows a recess 12 extending from its upper rear wall edge 11 to the protrusion 10, which is delimited by the further rear wall edges 13, 14 and 15. A part of the energy storage device holder 7 is exposed in this recess 12, so that finger pressure can be exerted there using the tip of a finger of the human hand (not illustrated), in order to be able to insert the energy storage device holder 7 into the shaft 9 more easily, but particularly to be able to pull out or press out the energy storage device holder more easily.

[0066] The rear wall 4 additionally comprises a tie guide 16, which is composed of two tubes 17 and 18 running on the left and right edge of the protrusion 10 and a semi-circular depression 19 in the protrusion 10, which connects the tubes 17, 18 and is open to the outside. The top-orientated ends of the tubes 17, 18 end to the left and right side of the recess 12. The tie guide 16 is used to fasten the label 1 to another object (not illustrated) with the aid of a tie 20 inserted into the tie guide (see FIGS. 9, 10 and 16). It can therefore e.g. be tied directly to merchandise or connected (e.g. in a non-detachable manner without additional auxiliary means or tools) to an anti-theft device (not illustrated), wherein the anti-theft device is then connected directly to the merchandise, wherein the anti-theft device is usually only removed by the cashier of a shop. The tie 20 can, as illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 16, have two loose ends or be realized as a closed tie loop.

[0067] Furthermore, the positioning of the protrusion 10 in the half of the housing 2, which is orientated towards the side wall 5, brings with it the advantage that, due to the action of gravity, the label 1 hanging on the tie 20 is always aligned such that the side wall 5 always points upwards. The centre of gravity of the label 1 therefore lies offset asymmetrically towards the side wall 5. This circumstance can advantageously be taken into account for image composition, ultimately the orientation of the image content, which means that the image content is always displayed in a correctly orientated manner on the screen 3A for the observer of the label 1.

[0068] The details of FIGS. 11-15 are covered in the following, which as mentioned show the combination part 6, which can be inserted into the shaft 9. It is to be highlighted here that the energy storage device holder 7 comprises a left and a right holder element 21 and 22. This entails two advantages.

[0069] On the one hand, the insertion and removal of the combination part 6 is facilitated as a result. Namely, contact elements (not visible in the previously described figures, but see FIG. 17, contact tabs 23 and 24) are located in the housing 2 for electrically conductively contacting the poles of the button cell battery 8 and these contact elements can be positioned in the housing 2 in such a manner that they lie between the holder elements 21, 22, that is to say do not come into mechanical interaction with the combination part 6 at all during the insertion or pulling out of the combination part 6, but rather are only in contact with the button cell battery 8.

[0070] On the other hand, the two-part design of the holder elements 21 and 22 can also be used to dimension their spacing in such a manner that when a button cell battery 8 is inserted, a clamping action comes about, which substantially prevents an inadvertent falling out of the button cell battery 8 from the energy storage device holder 7.

[0071] FIG. 17 is covered in the following, which very roughly and not definitively visualizes a selection of electronic functional blocks of the electronics 25 in the interior of the housing 2, without covering details, such as the connections between them, because these will be deduced for the person skilled in the art as a matter of routine. Thus, FIG. 17 shows how the energy storage device holder 7 positions the button cell battery 8 in the interior of the housing 2 between contact tabs 23 and 24 that form contacting elements and these contact tabs 23, 24 respectively contact a pole of the button cell battery 8, e.g. from above and from below, wherein the button cell battery 8 is positioned between the contact tabs 23 and 24. The other ends of the metallic contact tabs 23, 24 are connected to the electronics 25 of the label 1. These electronics 25 include a communication module 26, which is designed for wireless communication with an access point (not illustrated) according to the proprietary time slot communication method mentioned in the general part of the description, and for this, in addition to other electronic components such as a matching network, LC circuit, etc., comprises an antenna configuration 26A, a screen controller 27, which is designed for controlling the screen 3A, and a general digital controller 28, which handles the information exchange with the access point and supplies the screen controller 27 with commands and/or data and also controls the light emission behaviour of two light-emitting diodes 29A and 29B forming the light source. The two light-emitting diodes 29A and 29B are positioned in such a manner that they feed their emitted light into the transparent body of the energy storage device holder 7 at different points of the energy storage device holder 7. In the present case, the feeding-in takes place symmetrically to the position of the button cell battery 8, that is to say to the left and right side thereof, for example at the position or in the region of the position of the button cell battery 8. From there, the light propagates in the body of the energy storage device holder 7 towards the side wall 5 and ensures a uniform, substantially homogeneous illumination of the side wall 5. The two light-emitting diodes 29A and 29B may be monochromatic or designed as RGB LEDs. The feeding in of the light can however also take place above the position of the button cell battery 8 at a distance from the side wall 5 into the energy storage device holder 7. Also, only a single LED may be used in this case. 6

[0072] The manner (e.g. colour, flashing frequency, brightness, signal coding, etc.) in which the side wall 5 illuminates, can be controlled from a server (not illustrated) by means of transmitting commands via the access point to the general digital controller 28 of the label 1. The general controller 28 decodes the commands and actuates the light-emitting diodes 29A and 29B accordingly. Thus, very different effects can be achieved for the observer. Thus, the attention of customers and of personnel can be diverted to the relevant label 1. In particular, using the extensive light output via the entire side wall 5, a perception, which is pleasant for the observer, of the optical attention trigger can be achieved, that is to say in a manner quite different than would be the case if a light-emitting diode or another punctiform light source were to flash at them directly, which is often experienced as dazzling and invasive.

[0073] In addition, the light output via the forward-inclined side wall 5 brings the advantage with it that in spite of the light signature which is perceived as coming extensively from the front, the front wall 3 is to the greatest extent available for the screen 3A, that is to say with respect to the size and the positioning of the screen 3A, no cutbacks need to be made due to the additional light signal output means (light source, energy storage device holder 7, side wall 5).

[0074] Finally, it is once more pointed out that the figures previously described in detail are only concerned with exemplary embodiments, which can be modified in many different ways by the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. For the sake of completeness, it is also pointed out that the use of the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not mean that the relevant features cannot also be present multiple times.