Systems and methods for providing smart electronic labels and tags

Abstract

Systems and methods for operating an Electronic Smart Tag (“EST”). The methods involve: operating the EST in a first operational state in which first item related information is output from an electronic output device of the EST that is powered by an energy storage device storing energy harvested from an external energy source; detecting when a charge level of the energy storage device reaches or falls below a first threshold level; and transitioning an operational state of the EST from the first operational state to a second operation state in which a message is output from EST requesting that a mobile device be placed in proximity to the EST for purposes of obtaining at least a first portion of the first item related information, in response to the detection that the charge level of the energy storage device has reached or fallen below the first threshold level.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of operating an electronic smart tag (EST) coupled with an item, comprising:
 operating the EST in an operational state in which item related information is output from an electronic output device of the EST that is powered from an external energy source via an energy harvesting circuit of the EST;   monitoring the energy harvesting circuit of the EST;   detecting, based on the monitoring, that the external energy source is below a threshold level; and   switching, in response to the external energy source being below the threshold level, from powering the electronic output device by the external energy source to powering the electronic output device by an internal energy storage device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting an alarm message to a remote computing device, the alarm message indicating that the external energy source is below the threshold level.