Electronic shelf label with interaction interface

1. An electronic shelf label ( 1 ) that comprises:

a display unit ( 4 ) that is arranged to display an image, and

an interaction interface which is arranged separate from the display unit ( 4 ), wherein the interaction interface is realized as stripe-shaped touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) that provides a touch-triggered signal (TTS), and

a processing unit ( 20 ) that is connected to the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) and is arranged to process the touch-triggered signal (TTS), the electronic shelf label ( 1 ) further comprising a housing ( 36 ) which comprises the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) accessible from the outside for a human finger ( 24 , 31 ) touch, and wherein the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) is localized on a wall ( 12 ) of the housing ( 36 ) that is different from that wall of the housing ( 36 ) which hosts the display unit ( 4 ).

2. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein, if the electronic shelf label ( 1 ) is installed as intended at a shelf ( 33 ), the wall that hosts the display unit ( 4 ) is the front wall ( 3 ) and that wall that hosts the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) is the bottom wall ( 12 ).

3. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) is attached to, preferably glued onto, the housing ( 36 ) of the electronic shelf label ( 1 ), preferably placed into a recess of the housing ( 36 ), wherein the recess shows a depth that is similar to the height of the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ).

4. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) is a purely resistor based linear position sensor.

5. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein

the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) comprises a touch sensitive area ( 14 ) that shows a length (L), and

the touch sensitive unit ( 13 ) is arranged to generate the touch-triggered signal (ITS) in such a way that the touch-triggered signal (TTS) represents the touch-position (P) along the length (L) of the touch sensitive area ( 14 ) at which the touch happens or occurs.

6. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein

the display unit ( 4 ) comprises an image reproduction area ( 5 ) that shows a first width (B 1 ), and

the length (L) of the touch sensitive area ( 14 ) runs in parallel with the first width (B 1 ) of the image reproduction area ( 5 ).

7. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 6 , wherein the length (L) of the touch sensitive area ( 14 ) exceeds the first width (B 1 ) of the image reproduction area ( 5 ) or is of essentially identical measure.

8. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit ( 20 ) is arranged to control the display unit ( 4 ) in dependency on the touch-triggered signal (TTS).

9. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 8 , wherein

the processing unit ( 20 ) is arranged to control the image-position, which is the position along the first width (B 1 ) of the image reproduction area ( 5 ) where the image is to be displayed, and wherein

the image-position is defined by the received touch-triggered signal (TTS) which represents the touch-position (P).

10. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit ( 20 ) is arranged to change the image-position along the first width of the image reproduction area ( 5 ) in accordance with a detected continuous change of the touch-position (P).

11. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the processing unit ( 20 ) is arranged

to detect and to distinguish between a first touch-triggered signal (TTS) and a second touch triggered signal (TTS), and

to influence its operation mode accordingly.

12. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 11 , wherein, if said first touch-triggered signal (TTS) is detected, the processing unit is arranged to perform a logic link creation mode in which it is arranged to create a logic link between a product and a pre-defined virtual label ( 26 ).

13. The electronic shelf label ( 1 ) according to claim 11 , wherein, if said second touch-triggered signal (TTS) is detected, the processing unit ( 20 ) is arranged to perform a position definition mode, in which it is arranged to define the position of a virtual label ( 26 ) within the image reproduction area.