Customer information network

• US 6,314,406 B1
• Filed: 08/29/1997
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telxon Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Canda, Gregory, OʼHagan, Timothy P., Traxler, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Retta, Yehdega
• Application Number:
  US08/921,235
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/26, 235/383, 235/385, 235/375, 235/462, 340/825
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 : with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 : Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 : specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 : concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A retail customer information system which includes: at least one data processing device including a data storage adapted for selectively storing marketing data in a plurality of data fields. The customer information system also includes a portable transaction computer having a graphical user interface adapted to selectively display icon data representing data stored in the data storage. The portable transaction computer further including a random access memory; and a processor adapted to process instructions disposed in the random access memory. The retail customer information system further including a first data channel adapted for selectively communicating marketing data between the portable transaction computer and the data processing device.

Claims

1. A shopping system network, comprising:

a host computer coupleable to a network;

a manufacturer'"'"'s computer coupleable to the network;

a customer computer coupleable to the network;

an optical scanner coupleable to the customer computer; and

a coupon including graphical indicia thereon and optically identifiable indicia thereon;

wherein the optical scanner is adapted to scan the coupon when the customer computer is decoupled from the network, and wherein a customer can scan the coupon remote from the host computer with the optical scanner to provide the customer computer with the optically identifiable indicia which is processed by the customer computer to generate first data which is provided via the network to the host computer, the first data being used by the host computer to facilitate the customer'"'"'s shopping;

wherein the first data is used by the system to generate an icon representative of a product.

2. The shopping system of claim 1, wherein the host computer accesses the manufacturer'"'"'s computer to facilitate generation of the icon.

3. The shopping system network of claim 1, wherein the customer computer accesses the manufacturer'"'"'s computer to obtain additional product information.

4. The shopping system network of claim 1, wherein the optically identifiable indicia is a two-dimensional bar code.

6. The shopping system of claim 1, wherein the portable computing device includes a graphical interface, wherein the system provides the customer with graphical information to facilitate shopping.

8. The shopping system of claim 1, further including optical sensors coupled to the host computer via a sub-network, the optical sensors being able to detect proximity of the portable computing device.

9. The shopping system of claim 1, wherein the portable computing device includes a speaker for providing the customer with audible information to facilitate shopping.

10. The shopping system network of claim 1, wherein the host computer stores a product list in a host computer memory and a client computer is communicatively coupleable to the host computer via the network, wherein a customer can generate a customer shopping list from the product list, wherein the client computer is situated at a remote location from the point of sale.

11. The shopping system network of claim 10, further including a scanner coupleable to the client computer;

wherein the customer can scan at least one coupon into the client computer to generate a coupon list.

12. The shopping system of claim 11, wherein the host computer stores the shopping list and coupon list as a main customer shopping list and main customer coupon list in the host computer memory.

13. The shopping system of claim 12, wherein the product list is downloadable to the client computer.

14. The shopping system of claim 12, wherein the host computer generates a web page viewable from a customer information terminal;

representative of the locations of the products listed on the main customer shopping list.

15. The shopping system of claim 12 further including a manufacturer'"'"'s computer communicatively coupleable to the host computer via the network.

16. The shopping system of claim 15, wherein the manufacturer computer receives data relating to the purchase of its product by the customer.

17. The shopping system network in claim 1, wherein the host computer comprises at least one data processing device including a data storage adapted for selectively storing marketing data in a plurality of data fields, the data storage being selectively updateable in response to a customer scanning a product dataform, the data fields including a plurality of records, each record representing a discount available to a customer on a specific product and icon data including a graphic representation of the product and a trademark associated with the product;

and

a first data channel adapted for selectively communicating marketing data between a portable transaction computer and the data processing device;

wherein the portable transaction computer is adapted to update the data storage in response to the customer scanning the product dataform.

18. The shopping system of claim 17, wherein the portable transaction computer comprises:

a graphical user interface adapted to selectively display icon data representing data stored in the data storage;

a random access memory,

a processor adapted to process instructions disposed in the random access memory, and

a dataform reader adapted to allow the customer to scan the product dataform.

19. The shopping system network of claim 17, further including a second data channel adapted for selectively communicating with a product manufacturer'"'"'s data processing device to obtain the icon data.

20. The shopping system network of claim 17, wherein the discount is at least one of:

(a) a fixed discount expiring on a specified date; and

(b) a variable diminishing discount based on predetermined criteria.

21. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the predetermined criteria for varying the discount is a period of time.

22. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the predetermined criteria for varying the discount is related to the purchase of another product.

23. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the discount data for each specific product represents a discount available to the customer on such specified product, the discount being available to the customer because at least one of:

(a) the customer previously entered data from a printed coupon;

(b) the customer'"'"'s demographic data matched a profile eligible for the discount; and

(c) the customer'"'"'s previous purchases matched a profile eligible for the discount.

24. The shopping system network of claim 23, wherein the printed coupon includes a two-dimensional bar code.

25. The shopping system network of claim 24, further including a customer home terminal including a bar code reader and a third data channel adapted to communicate discount data and icon data from the customer home terminal to the data processing device.

26. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the system further includes a position system for determining the portable transaction computer'"'"'s location in the store, the data storage further including at least one of an audio and visual alert for the specific product and data representing the product'"'"'s location in the store, the portable transaction computer adapted to alert a user when the portable transaction computer is in proximity of the specific product in the store.

27. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the portable transaction computer alerts the user of the discount via a graphical user interface.

28. The shopping system network of claim 20, wherein the portable transaction computer alerts the user of the discount via a speaker.

29. The shopping system of claim 1, wherein the customer computer is a portable customer information terminal wirelessly coupleable to the network, wherein the customer can view web pages on the customer information terminal of at least one of the product list and customer shopping list.

5. A shopping system network, comprising:

a host computer coupleable to a network;

a manufacturer'"'"'s computer coupleable to the network;

a customer computer coupleable to the network;

an optical scanner coupleable to the customer computer, and

a coupon including graphical indicia thereon and optically identifiable indicia thereon the optically identifiable indicia being a two-dimensional bar code;

wherein the optical scanner is adapted to scan the coupon when the customer computer is decoupled from the network, and wherein a customer can scan the coupon remote from the host computer with the optical scanner to provide the customer computer with the optically identifiable indicia which is processed by the customer computer to generate first data which is provided via the network to the host computer, the first data being used by the host computer to facilitate the customer'"'"'s shopping;

wherein the optically identifiable indicia provides the customer computer with a link to a web site of manufacturer'"'"'s computer coupleable to the network.

30. The shopping system of claim 5, further including a portable computer device wirelessly coupleable to the network.

7. A shopping system network, comprising:

a host computer coupleable to a network;

a manufacturer'"'"'s computer coupleable to the network;

a customer computer coupleable to the network;

an optical scanner coupleable to the customer computer;

a coupon including graphical indicia thereon and optically identifiable indicia thereon; and

a portable computing device wirelessly coupleable to the network, the portable computing device includes a graphical interface, wherein the system provides the customer with graphical information to facilitate shopping, and the graphical information includes product advertising from a manufacturer computer coupleable to the network, the product advertising including iconic data;

wherein the optical scanner is adapted to scan the coupon when the customer computer is decoupled from the network, and wherein a customer can scan the coupon remote from the host computer with the optical scanner to provide the customer computer with the optically identifiable indicia which is processed by the customer computer to generate first data which is provided via the network to the host computer, the first data being used by the host computer to facilitate the customer'"'"'s shopping.