Intelligent label device and method
Briefly, an intelligent label is associated with a good, and includes one or more permanent and irreversible electrochromic indicators that are used to report the condition of that good at selected points in the movement or usage of that good. These electrochromic indicators provide immediate visual information regarding the status of the good without need to interrogate or communicate with the electronics or processor on the intelligent label. In this way, anyone in the shipping or use chain for the good, including the end user consumer, can quickly understand whether the product is meeting shipping and quality standards. If a product fails to meet shipping or quality standards, the particular point where the product failed can be quickly and easily identified, and information can be used to assure the consumer remains safe, while providing essential information for improving the shipping process. It will be understood that the label may take many forms, such as a tag attached to the good, integrated into the packaging for the good, integrated into the good itself, or may even be an information area on a prepaid card for example. The label may also include, for example, print information regarding the good, usage or shipping rules, or address and coded information.
1. A method for dynamically configuring an intelligent label having an electro-optic display, comprising:
retrieving a good's class ID by interrogating (1) the good, (2) a printed label associated with the good, (3) an electronic label associated with the good, or (4) the intelligent label associated with the good;
providing a profile for the good having the class ID, the profile including conditional rules or conditional variables that are used by the intelligent label to display information in machine or human readable form on the electro-optic display;
loading the profile into the intelligent label;
displaying information on the electro-optic display according to the conditional rules or conditional variables in the profile; and
detecting, using a state detector integral to the intelligent label, the current optical state of pixels on the electro-optic display.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of (1) attaching the intelligent label to the good, or (2) integrating the intelligent label into the good itself or into product packaging for the good.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the loading step occurs (1) before the intelligent label is attached or integrated , (2) after the intelligent label is attached or integrated, or (3) concurrently with the intelligent label being attached or integrated.
4. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of modifying the retrieved profile before it is loaded into the intelligent label.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the loading step includes wirelessly communicating with the intelligent label.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electro-optic display is selected to be (1) permanent and irreversible, (2) bi-stable; (3) permanent; or (4) irreversible.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting step includes taking electrical measurements of the pixels or optically sensing optical properties of the pixels.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting step is done (1) prior to the loading step, (2) concurrent with the loading step, or (3) after the loading step.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detected optical state is used to modify the profile prior to loading the profile into the intelligent label.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of wirelessly or optically receiving from the intelligent label, information regarding the detected optical state.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the providing step includes:
retrieving a base profile that is associated with a class of goods to which the good belongs; and
modifying the base profile to be the profile that is loaded into the intelligent label.
12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interrogating step includes acquiring the class ID from the good, the good's packaging, the intelligent label associated with the good.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interrogating step includes wirelessly receiving or optically scanning the class ID from the good.
14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interrogating step includes wirelessly receiving or optically scanning data from which the class ID from the good is derived.
15. A method for dynamically configuring an intelligent label having an electro-optic display, comprising:
providing a good with a plurality of class IDs;
determining which one of the plurality of class IDs is to be used for the good;
generating a first profile for the good according to the selected class ID, the profile including conditional rules or conditional variables that are used by the intelligent label to display information in machine or human readable form on the electro-optic display;
associating the intelligent label with the good;
loading the profile into the intelligent label
generating a second profile for the good according to a different class ID, the new profile including conditional rules or conditional variables that are used by the intelligent label to display information in machine or human readable form on the electro-optic display; and
loading the second profile for the good into the intelligent label.
16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the electro-optic display is selected to be (1) permanent and irreversible, (2) bi-stable; (3) permanent; or (4) irreversible.
17. The method according to claim 15 , further including the step of detecting, using a state detector integral to the intelligent label, the current optical state of pixels on the electro-optic display.
18. The method according to claim 17 , further including the step of wirelessly or optically receiving or retrieving, from the intelligent label, information regarding the detected optical state.
19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the detecting step includes taking electrical measurements of the pixels or optically sensing optical properties of the pixels.
20. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the detecting step is done (1) prior to a the loading step, (2) concurrent with a loading step, or (3) after a loading step.
21. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the detected optical state is used to modify the profile prior to loading the profile into the intelligent label.
22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the interrogating step includes using (1) an optical reader, or (2) a wireless radio communicating with the intelligent label.
23. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of generating a profile includes retrieving a profile, receiving a profile or modifying a profile.
24. The method according to claim 15 , further including the step of deactivating the first profile in the intelligent label prior to loading the second profile in the intelligent label.
25. The method according to claim 15 , further including the step of (1) attaching the intelligent label to the good or (2) integrating the intelligent label into the good itself or into product packaging for the good.
26. The method according to claim 25 , wherein a loading step occurs (1) before the intelligent label is attached or integrated, (2) after the intelligent label is attached or integrated, or (3) concurrently with the intelligent label being attached or integrated.
27. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a loading step includes wirelessly or optically communicating with the intelligent label.