Communication device and method for electronic price label systems

A communication device for communicating with an electronic price label (EPL) computer utilizing existing EPL system infrastructure by reflectively modulating signals received from the EPL computer, the communication device comprising:

• a control processor;
• a data entry mechanism coupled to the control processor for user input;
• and
• communication circuitry for transmitting data to the EPL computer by reflectively modulating signals received from the EPL computer;
• wherein the EPL computer executes EPL data scheduler software which schedules price change messages to be sent to EPLs and schedules polling and computer acknowledgment messages to be sent to the communication device.

A communication device for communicating with an electronic price label (EPL) communication system, the EPL communication system including an EPL computer, a communication base station (CBS) and a plurality of EPLs, each of the EPLs identified by a unique EPL identifier, the EPL computer wirelessly communicating with the plurality of EPLs utilizing the CBS, the communication device comprising:

• a control processor;
• a data entry mechanism coupled to the microcontroller for entering data;
• a display coupled to the control processor;
• and
• communication circuitry for wirelessly transmitting at least a portion of the data to the EPL computer utilizing the CBS;
• wherein the EPL computer executes CBS manager software which schedules price change messages transmitted to EPLs and polling messages transmitted to the communication device.

A method of sending data from a remote control device to an electronic price label (EPL) computer utilizing existing EPL system infrastructure, the method comprising the steps of:

• transmitting a first polling signal from the EPL computer to the remote control device utilizing existing EPL system infrastructure
• transmitting an acknowledgement signal from the remote control device to the EPL computer by reflectively modulating the first polling signal;
• transmitting a second polling signal from the EPL computer to the remote control device;
• and
• transmitting data from the remote control device to the EPL computer by reflectively modulating the second polling signal.