Machine readable label reader system for articles with changeable status
First Claim
1. A system for tracking descriptive information about a changeable article:
- a machine-readable label (MRL) attachable to articles;
one or more processors connectable to a MRL reader and programmed to create an association between data stored in an MRL and descriptive data and store said association in a data store;
said descriptive data including a changeable characteristic of a given article and selectively also profile data characterizing a user and/or user preferences;
said one or more processors being programmed to scan said MRL and permit a user to complete a transaction involving said given article including reading said descriptive data in said data store, said transaction being responsive to said descriptive data.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for tracking a changeable description of an article labeled by a machine-readable label (MRL) allows articles like fresh vegetables to be labeled with MRL devices. A unique code in the MRL is correlated with descriptive information about the article including, possibly, changeable information such as a remaining quantity of the article. The descriptive information can be updated, so for example, if the information relates to a bottle of vinegar, the quantity remaining is always correlated to the MRL if the information is regularly updated. Thus, for example, a household inventory can be maintained with quantities that are below an initial value of a purchased item. Also, fresh foods like vegetables and deli foods can be automatically tracked by a home inventory system that reads MRL devices such as radio frequency identification tags.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A system for tracking descriptive information about a changeable article:
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a machine-readable label (MRL) attachable to articles;
one or more processors connectable to a MRL reader and programmed to create an association between data stored in an MRL and descriptive data and store said association in a data store;
said descriptive data including a changeable characteristic of a given article and selectively also profile data characterizing a user and/or user preferences;
said one or more processors being programmed to scan said MRL and permit a user to complete a transaction involving said given article including reading said descriptive data in said data store, said transaction being responsive to said descriptive data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for tracking descriptive information about a changeable article, comprising the steps of:
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attaching a machine-readable label (MRL) to an article;
said MRL having a unique code;
storing a correlation between descriptive information about said article and said unique code in a data store; and
reading said unique code to obtain at least a portion of said descriptive information using said correlation in said data store;
deleting said correlation after the passage of a predetermined period of time after said step of storing. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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Specification