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Portable electronic food shopper

  • US 5,483,472 A
  • Filed: 05/10/1993
  • Issued: 01/09/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of electronically selecting, listing, and displaying shopping items with price and quantity to be purchased in an electronic device that includes a keyboard input section with means for inputting alphanumeric characters for entering items on a list and control commands, including a List key, a display means for displaying shopping list items, command prompts, and calculational results, and keyboard input section entries, device memory means in which is stored a master list of consumer items stored in said device memory means from which a user can select items a plurality of user-prepared lists prepared by transferring items from said master list and by user entry from said keyboard, an index of said plurality of user-prepared lists stored in said device memory means, data retrieval means such that shopping list information can be retrieved and displayed on the display means, one or more microprocessors electronically coupled to said retrieval means, to said display means and to said keyboard input section for processing keyboard input data and to said memory means for controlling designed operational steps implemented in a plurality of device processor program instructions stored in said device memory means,where said designed operational steps are comprised of:

  • a continuously operating program control loop that inquires if a key has been pressed, a positive response causing the program to execute one of two subprograms, DO-- CMND or WHAT-- 2-- DO,said DO-- CMND subprogram causing the keyboard to be read and interpreted through a series of logic queries, a negative response to each of said logic queries causing a read of a next logic query, determining whether selective function keys have been pressed, said selective keys including "SECOND", "INPUT" "COMPARE", "SCROLL", or "DELETE", or "COST";

    a positive response to the first query causing key definition to flip between a primary key definition set and a secondary key definition set;

    a positive response to the second query causing an execution of a subprogram "GET-- INITEM" or a subroutine "SERIAL-- DUMP", depending on whether a primary or secondary keyboard definition is active;

    a positive response to the third query causing a read of the keyboard of two list items each with a keyboard entry of a price and a unit of measure, said entries followed by price comparison of the 2 items with results displayed on the display means;

    a positive response to the fourth query causing list items to scroll in the display means;

    a positive response to the fifth query causing deletion of list items;

    a positive response to the sixth query causing execution of a subprogram "SEARCH-- SUB" in the primary key definition set or a subprogram "EDIT-- COST" in the secondary keyboard definition set, after which the DO-- CMND subprogram is completed, and logic control is returned to the program control loop;

    said WHAT-- 2-- DO subprogram causing the keyboard to be read and interpreted through a series of logic queries, a negative response to each logic query causing a read of a next logic query, determining whether certain selective keys have been pressed, said keys including "UPARROW", "DOWNARROW", "QUANT" and "SEARCH", a positive response to each logic query respectively causing upward and downward movement of a cursor arrow in the display means through a list of items or data or execution of subprograms EDIT-- QUANTITY", "SEARCH-- SUB";

    after which the WHAT-- 2-DO subprogram is completed and logic control is returned to the program control loop;

    said subprogram GET-- INITEM causing the keyboard to be read and interrupted and responding to selective keys being depressed, including keys "DELETE", "INPUT", and "SECOND", a positive response to which respectively causing (1) the subprogram to return logical control to a subprogram which caused execution of GET-- INITEM;

    (2) to execute closing steps, said closing steps including filling remaining character positions with logical blanks up to the limited number of characters, then adding a new word to the item list, then initiating quantity and price values to zero unless the list is full in which case an error message is displayed, and then returning logical control to a subprogram which caused execution of GET-- INITEM; and

    (3) to flip keyboard keys between primary and secondary key definitions followed by addition of a character represented by the depressed key to be added to a list and displayed on the display means and then logically branching to again wait for a further key to be depressed unless greater than a limited number of characters have been entered in which case said closing steps are executed;

    said subprogram "SERIAL-- DUMP" causing program execution one of three options in response to keyboard input through one of three selective keys, respectively causing addition of a newly defined item to a list, transmission of an entire list, transmission of a single item of a list, followed by return to a subprogram which caused execution of SERIAL DUMP;

    said EDIT-- COST subprogram comprising display on the display means of a list item indicated by the display cursor together with quantity and cost data for that item followed by keyboard entry of new cost data recorded in device memory unless a "DELETE" character is first encountered in which case the routine is exited without recording the new value;

    said EDIT-- QUANTITY subprogram comprising display on the display means of an item indicated by the display cursor together with quantity and cost data for that item followed by keyboard entry of new quantity data and new quantity unit of measure data recorded in device memory unless a "DELETE" character is first encountered in which case the routine is exited without recording the new value;

    said SEARCH-- SUB subprogram executing read of the keyboard, the subprogram returning to a subprogram which caused its execution if read of a "DELETE" key is found, recording as a new item in a list the last item searched and identified if an "INPUT" key is found, otherwise executing a further read of the keyboard for defining a desired list item, which item is retrieved from a memory-resident list of items and loaded into a user new list for creation of a user list from selected items in a memory-resident master list of items.

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