Method and apparatus for providing audio/visual feedback to scanning pen users
First Claim
1. An apparatus for scanning a machine readable symbol and providing an audio feedback signal stored in the machine readable symbol to a user, the apparatus comprising:
- an input device capable of detecting the machine readable symbol and generating an electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol;
a controller operatively coupled to the input device for receiving the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol;
a memory device operatively coupled to the controller, the memory device storing a digital representation of the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol; and
a speaker operatively coupled to the controller, the controller causing the speaker to generate the audio feedback signal from the digital representation of the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The method and apparatus described herein provides a system for retrieving audible and/or visual instructions stored in a machine readable code, such as a bar code. When the code is scanned by a scanning pen or other scanning device, the pen provides audible or visual feedback to the user. The feedback guides the user through a process, such as a shopping sequence, providing instructions to the next input or action. In addition, each code may also contain data indicative of a user response to a previous audio/visual prompt. Optionally, the scanning device may store an identification code which is compared to an authorization code stored in the machine readable code to determine if the user of the scanning device is authorized to see or hear certain information which is also stored in the machine readable code.
136 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for scanning a machine readable symbol and providing an audio feedback signal stored in the machine readable symbol to a user, the apparatus comprising:
-
an input device capable of detecting the machine readable symbol and generating an electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol;
a controller operatively coupled to the input device for receiving the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol;
a memory device operatively coupled to the controller, the memory device storing a digital representation of the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol; and
a speaker operatively coupled to the controller, the controller causing the speaker to generate the audio feedback signal from the digital representation of the electrical signal indicative of the machine readable symbol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
12. A method of providing an audio feedback signal to a scanning pen user, the method comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a first electrical signal indicative of a machine readable symbol, the machine readable symbol storing the audio feedback signal;
converting the electrical signal into a digital code, at least a portion of the digital code being indicative of the audio feedback signal;
causing a speaker to produce the audio feedback signal based on the at least a portion of the digital code.
-
-
20. A method of facilitating an Internet shopping sequence, the method comprising the steps of:
-
prompting a user, via a first visual prompt, to enter first information associated with the Internet shopping sequence, the first visual prompt being displayed on a portable symbol scanning device;
receiving data indicative of a machine readable symbol at the portable symbol scanning device; and
parsing the data indicative of the machine readable symbol into the first information and a second visual prompt. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
26. An apparatus for facilitating an Internet shopping sequence, the apparatus comprising:
-
a visual display structured to generate a plurality of visual prompts;
a scanner structured to convert a machine readable symbol into symbol data; and
a controller operatively coupled to the visual display and the scanner, the controller being structured to cause the visual display to display a first visual prompt, the first visual prompt requesting product identification information, the controller being structured to receive the symbol data from the scanner, the controller being structured to parse the symbol data into the requested product identification information and visual data, the controller being structured to cause the visual display to display a second visual prompt based on the visual data.
-
-
30. A method of facilitating an Internet shopping sequence, the method comprising the steps of:
-
prompting a user, via a first audio prompt, to enter first information associated with the Internet shopping sequence, the first audio prompt being generated by a portable symbol scanning device;
receiving data indicative of a machine readable symbol at the portable symbol scanning device; and
parsing the data indicative of the machine readable symbol into the first information and a second audio prompt. - View Dependent Claims (31)
-
-
32. An apparatus for facilitating an Internet shopping sequence, the apparatus comprising:
-
a speaker structured to generate a plurality of audio prompts;
a scanner structured to convert a machine readable symbol into symbol data; and
a controller operatively coupled to the speaker and the scanner, the controller being structured to cause the speaker to produce a first audio prompt, the first audio prompt requesting product identification information, the controller being structured to receive the symbol data from the scanner, the controller being structured to parse the symbol data into the requested product identification information and audio data, the controller being structured to cause the speaker to produce a second audio prompt based on the audio data. - View Dependent Claims (33)
-
Specification