Electronic shopping system

• US 6,595,417 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• 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): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Uyen-Chau N
• Application Number:
  US10/147,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/385, 235/432, 235/380, 235/375, 235/381, 235/462.01, 235/382.5, 235/472.01, 235/462.46, 235/462.45, 235/472.02, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/20, 705/21
• US Class Current: 235/383
• 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 system and method for an information system for use by customers in a retail shopping environment are provided. The system includes a host computer and a portable terminal for use by a customer. The portable terminal is located within a retail environment and interacts with the host computer to access product information. A customer enters a request for product information via an input device. The portable terminal then transmits the customer request and receives the product information from the host computer. A processor is employed for generating a request or query related to the received product information; and both the product information and additional query information is then displayed to the customer.

Claims

1. An information system for use by customers in a retail shopping environment, comprising:

a host computer that stores and accesses product information; and

a portable terminal for use by a customer that interacts with the host computer within a retail environment, the portable terminal comprising;

an input device that provides for input of a customer request;

a transceiver that transmits the customer request and receives the product information from the host computer;

a processor that generates a request or query related to the received product information; and

a display that displays the product information and additional query information related to the generated request to the customer.

2. The information system of claim 1, the processor including a computer program activated by the customer.

3. The information system of claim 1, the input device comprising a touch panel that allows the customer to enter requests or queries for product information and additional information.

4. The information system of claim 1, further comprising a bar code reader coupled to the terminal that allows the customer to enter requests or queries for product information and additional information.

5. The information system of claim 1, the portable terminal employing a web browser that displays the product information and the additional query information via at least one web page.

6. The information system of claim 5, the at least one web page being a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document.

7. The information system of claim 1, the portable terminal further comprising a printer that prints the product information and the additional query information.

8. The information system of claim 1, the input device comprising a plurality of virtual buttons that transmit a link request to the host computer to launch a search program.

9. The information system of claim 1, the additional query information being at least one of:

custom graphics related to marketing the product, associated products, manufacturers'"'"' website link data, coupons for the product, recipes for the product, and a location of the product in the retail environment.

10. The information system of claim 1, the host computer storing a record of the customer'"'"'s activities to forecast purchasing trends and to track a purchasing behavior of the customer.

11. The information system of claim 10, the processor generating the additional requests or queries further in response to the forecasted purchasing trends and purchasing behavior of the customer.

12. A method for employing an information system for use by customers in a retail shopping environment, comprising:

transmitting a first request to a host computer from a portable terminal within the retail shopping environment;

receiving product information based on the first request from a database in the host computer;

receiving additional query information associated with the requested product information; and

displaying the requested product information and the additional query information to a customer.

13. The method of claim 12, the requested product information and the additional query information being displayed in at least one Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) web page.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, generating a second request for product information in response to the information displayed in the at least one HTML web page.

15. The method of claim 12, the additional query information being received in response to the product information displayed to the customer.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating a second customer request based on the requested product information displayed to the customer;

receiving information based on the second customer request; and

displaying the information based on the second customer request to the customer.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to the requested product information displayed:

adding a product to a purchase, declining to purchase the product, or requesting further information about the product.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to the additional query information displayed:

adding a product to a purchase, declining to purchase the product, or requesting further information about the product.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising, printing the requested product information from the remote terminal.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising, generating a shopping list based on the product information displayed to the customer.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising, maintaining a record of the customer'"'"'s activities to forecast purchasing trends and purchasing behavior of the customer.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising, displaying product information to the customer based on the forecasted trends and purchasing behavior of the customer.

23. An information system for use by customers in a retail shopping environment, comprising:

a host computer including means for storing product information and means for retrieving the product information; and

a portable terminal for use by a customer that interacts with the host computer, the portable terminal comprising;

input means for the customer to input a first customer request for the product information;

display means for displaying the product information to the customer; and

query means for generating a second customer request or query for additional product information from the host computer based on the product information displayed.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising, means for forecasting customer trends and purchasing behavior.