Patent landscapes › Electronics & gadgets

Is a electronic shelf label patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a electronic shelf label have been patented many times, but "a electronic shelf label" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows
  • 359 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “electronicdigital shelfprice label” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
  • Among the 359 best keyword matches we examined, 160 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2000.
  • Most frequent assignees in those matches: NCR CORP (68), HANSHOW TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (37), QUALCOMM INC (26), SOLUM CO LTD (20).
  • Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): G06Q (176), G09F (157), G06K (79), G06F (78).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a electronic shelf label

  1. Electronic shelf label managing server, display device and controlling method thereof US-12579693-B2 2026 · UNIV AJOU IND ACADEMIC COOP FOUND
    An Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) management server and a method for controlling the ESL management server are disclosed. An ESL management server for compressing an image to be displayed on an external display device of the ESL sys…
    View on Google Patents
  2. Electronic shelf label system with sectional control of display content US-12656993-B2 2026 · VUSIONGROUP GMBH
    An electronic shelf label system, comprising a number of display devices to display content on its screen or its screens, each device comprises a memory stage to store content data, and a control stage to control the display of th…
    View on Google Patents
  3. Method, system, and user terminal for editing product-related information displayed on customer code-based electronic shelf label WO-2025009825-A1 2025 · SOLUM CO LTD
    One embodiment provides a method for editing product-related information displayed on an electronic shelf label, the method comprising the steps of: pairing the electronic shelf label with a first user terminal; transmitting a uni…
    View on Google Patents
  4. Display adjustment method and device for bar-shaped electronic shelf label US-11650782-B2 2023 · BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
    The present disclosure discloses a display adjustment method and device for a bar-shaped electronic shelf label. The method according to the present disclosure includes: configuring a mobile terminal to be coupled with a bar-shape…
    View on Google Patents
  5. Display device and electronic shelf label US-11043163-B2 2021 · JAPAN DISPLAY INC
    According to an aspect, a display device includes a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in a row direction and a column direction, and each including a memory block that has at least one memory configured to store sub-pixel data. The…
    View on Google Patents
  6. Electronic shelf label tag, electronic shelf label system for time-division transmission of display data and change command data, and operating method thereof US-9454919-B2 2016 · SOLUM CO LTD
    An electronic shelf label tag includes a communications unit configured to wirelessly communicate with an electronic shelf label repeater; a control unit configured to control operations including receiving display data including …
    View on Google Patents
  7. Electronic shelf label having multiple display areas, electronic shelf label system, and operating method thereof US-2015179129-A1 2015 · SAMSUNG ELECTRO MECH
    An electronic shelf label wirelessly receiving a data packet including an identification through a gateway from an electronic shelf label server and requesting that the gateway transmit display information when the identification …
    View on Google Patents
  8. Electronic shelf label system and display method US-8556172-B2 2013 · NAKAMURA KAZUTOMO
    It is an object of the present invention to perform an operation in a store on products which are not registered in a product master. In order to attain the object, an ESL server ( 10 ) includes a hard disk ( 14 ) memorizing a pro…
    View on Google Patents
  9. Communications system and method of communicating display information, and electronic shelf label system using the same US-2012169477-A1 2012 · SEO JEONG SU
    There are provided a communications system and a method for more efficiently communicating display information in transmitting large-capacity data, such as graphics data, between communication nodes, and an electronic shelf label …
    View on Google Patents
  10. Electronic shelf label system, commodity price management device, portable terminal device, electronic shelf label device, commodity price management method, commodity price update method, commodity price management program, and commodity price update program US-2011186633-A1 2011 · OKABE AKIHIRO
    Provided are an electronic shelf label system, a product price management device, a portable terminal device, an electronic shelf label device, a product price management method, a product price update method, a product price mana…
    View on Google Patents
  11. Electronic shelf label, information display panel, and information display method US-2011286195-A1 2011 · HORIKIRI KEIICHI
    Supporting force for an information display panel is increased to reduce troubles such as displacement and removal of the panel, and attachment and detachment of the information display panel are facilitated. An electronic shelf l…
    View on Google Patents
  12. Article information display system and electronic shelf label US-7651026-B2 2010 · TOSHIBA TEC KK
    A fingerprint detecting portion which detects a fingerprint, which is a physical characteristic inherent to an individual, is provided on an electronic shelf label. A display control device has a customer database in which fingerp…
    View on Google Patents
  13. Shelf label display control device and shelf label display control method, and electronic shelf label system WO-2009084403-A1 2009 · SII DATA SERVICE CORP
    A shelf label display control device capable of controlling freely without trouble information to be displayed on a shelf label terminal capable of storing an image and plural pieces of display data. An input of a shelf label dis…
    View on Google Patents
  14. Methods and apparatus for ensuring accurate display of data by an electronic shelf label during an update US-2003233280-A1 2003 · NCR CORP
    An electronic price label (ESL) system providing techniques for ensuring the accurate display of information by the ESL during the time period in which only a portion of the plurality of messages have been transmitted, and thus on…
    View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a electronic shelf label been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Consumer electronics are among the most heavily patented areas; the specific circuit, mounting, or interaction is what distinguishes a design.

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Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.