US 6,146,158 AGranted

Self-adjusting shelf mounted interconnect for a digital display

AssigneeTagnology, Inc.

InventorsSergio Peratoner, James Hayes

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Abstract

A self-adjusting shelf mounted interconnect is disclosed including a bus connector having a series of electrical contacts to engage respective conductive strips of a first electrical bus that runs along a shelf carrying gondola. The self-adjusting interconnect is mounted below a shelf so that when the shelf is removably attached to the gondola, the contacts of the bus connector are automatically mated to the conductive strips of the electrical bus, whereby information transmitted from a remote computer to the first electrical bus can be transmitted to a second electrical bus that runs along the front of the shelf and to a particular one of a plurality of electronic price tag modules that are coupled to the second electrical bus to receive and display the information transmitted from the remote computer. The bus connector is adapted to rotate in response to a pushing force applied thereto when the shelf is connected to the gondola so as to maintain the electrical contacts of the bus connector in constant facing alignment with the conductive strips of the first electrical bus.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In combination:

first and second electrical buses carrying electrical signals;
and
a bus interconnect for electrically connecting said first and second electrical buses to one another so that said electrical signals can be transmitted therebetween, said bus interconnect including:
a bus connector having a series of electrical contacts to be electrically connected to said first electrical bus,
a housing,
first and second signal paths for transmitting said electrical signals between said first and second electrical buses, said first signal path connected between the electrical contacts of said bus connector and said housing and said second signal path connected between said housing and said second electrical bus, said housing having electrical circuitry for controlling said electrical signals transmitted between said first and second electrical buses via said first and second signal paths, and
at least a first arm having first and second ends, said first end pivotally connected to said housing and said second end connected to said bus connector, whereby said arm is rotatable relative to said housing in response to a pushing force generated when said bus connector is electrically connected to said first electrical bus so that the position of the electrical contacts of said bus connector is adjustable relative to the location of said first electrical bus.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.