Handheld scanner device with display location database
First Claim
1. A handheld scanning system for managing inventory, the system comprising:
- a scanner to read identification symbols on a product;
a communication interface to receive information from a remote information repository;
a processor coupled to the scanner and to the communication interface;
a display device coupled to the processor; and
a memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;
identify a retail display location corresponding to the scanned product based on the identification symbols and information received from the remote database.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of managing inventory may include using a handheld scanning device to locate one or more inventory items on a retail display. The method may further include scanning the identification symbols of inventory items on a retail display to determine the type of the scanned item. An associated apparatus may include a communication interface to receive information from a remote database and to send information to a remote server. The received information may include predetermined information about proper locations for individual inventory items on the retail display, thereby reducing the need to manually determine the proper locations of multiple inventory items, which may be, for example, greeting cards on a retail store display.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A handheld scanning system for managing inventory, the system comprising:
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a scanner to read identification symbols on a product;
a communication interface to receive information from a remote information repository;
a processor coupled to the scanner and to the communication interface;
a display device coupled to the processor; and
a memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;
identify a retail display location corresponding to the scanned product based on the identification symbols and information received from the remote database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A handheld scanning system for managing inventory, the system comprising:
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a scanner to read identification symbols on a product;
a communication interface to receive information from a remote information repository;
a processor coupled to the scanner and to the communication interface;
a display device coupled to the processor; and
a memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising;
receive information that represents identification symbols of inventory items that have been scanned;
receive information that indicates in which of a plurality of locations on a retail display each scanned inventory item is stored;
determine the number and type of scanned items stored in each location on the retail display;
retrieve from a data storage device a predetermined minimum inventory level for each type of scanned item; and
generate a command to transmit a message representing a request to re-order one or more types of products, wherein the request is based on the determined number of each type of product and the corresponding predetermined minimum inventory level.
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24. A handheld scanning system for managing inventory, the system comprising:
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a scanner to read identification symbols on a product;
a communication interface to receive information from a remote information repository;
a processor coupled to the scanner and to the communication interface;
a display device coupled to the processor; and
a memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations to manage inventory of products on a retail display, the operations comprising;
send and receive messages over the communication interface;
identify a retail display location corresponding to the product based on the identification symbols read by the scanner and information received from the remote database; and
cause the communication interface to transmit information on a communication channel using an Internet protocol.
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Specification