Portable electronic terminal and data processing system

• US 7,171,378 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Bridgelall, Raj, Roslak, Thomas K., Petrovich, Adam, Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond; Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US10/137,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 705/26.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a personal shopping system for combined use in both the home of a user and a shopping establishment. The system includes a host computer which is coupled to a host modem and, optionally, to at least one wireless multi-access point. At least one shopping establishment kiosk cradle is employed to interface with a portable terminal which is also part of the system. The portable terminal can be used in both the shopping establishment and the home of the user. It is configured to read bar codes associated with items related to shopping, and includes a memory, a bar code reader, a wireless transceiver, and a data interface. The data interface of the terminal communicates with a data interface of the shopping establishment kiosk cradle. A home cradle for the portable terminal is also provided and is adapted to remain in the home of the user. It includes a home portable terminal-receiving station and a home data interface to communicate with the data interface of the portable terminal. A home data transfer circuit is also included to permit data exchange between the home data interface and the modem coupled to the host computer.

Claims

1. A personal shopping system for use in a shopping establishment and a home, comprising:

a host computer associated with the shopping establishment;

a wireless access point coupled to the host computer;

a mobile device provided by the shopping establishment to the customer having a two-way data interface to facilitate reading bar codes associated with products and exchanging data associated with the bar codes with a home computer and the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

an input key for generating an alert message;

a wireless transceiver for communicating the alert message to the wireless access point;

a position sensing module for sensing the location of the mobile device;

a data transfer circuit associated with the home computer for transmitting the bar code data information to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

a shopping establishment kiosk cradle coupled to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer having a kiosk data interface for interfacing with the two-way data interface of the mobile device, wherein the bar code data is transmitted from the mobile device; and

a mobile device cradle coupled to the home computer having a data interface for interfacing with the two-way data interface of the mobile device, wherein the bar code data is transmitted from the mobile device.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, the assistance provided to the customer is a message communicated from the host computer.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, further comprising a speaker wherein the message is communicated audibly through the speaker.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, further comprising a display wherein the message is displayed on the display.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, the assistance provided to the customer is a personal communication with personnel from the establishment.

6. A method for use in a shopping establishment by a customer and the customer'"'"'s home for providing improved service to the customer, comprising:

providing a mobile device by the shopping establishment to the customer, the mobile device having a position sensing module, a wireless transceiver, a display, and a two-way data interface to facilitate reading bar codes associated with products and exchanging data associated with the bar codes with a home computer and the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

transmitting data relating to bar code information from the mobile device to the home computer when the mobile device is directly coupled to a home computer cradle coupled to the home computer, and then transmitting the data from the home computer to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

transmitting data relating to bar code information from the mobile device to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer when the mobile device is directly connected to a kiosk cradle associated with the shopping establishment, and then transmitting the data to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

storing the data in a shopping list database associated with the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

displaying portions of the shopping list on the display of the mobile device;

determining based on the sensing module in the mobile device, the location of the mobile device within the shopping establishment;

generating an alert message from the mobile device;

communicating the alert message from the wireless transceiver of the mobile device to a wireless access point within the shopping establishment;

communicating the alert message from the wireless access point within the shopping establishment to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer;

providing, based on the determined location of the mobile device, assistance to the customer in response to the communicating of the alert message to the shopping establishment'"'"'s host computer.

7. The method of claim 6, the assistance provided to the customer is a message communicated from the host computer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising a speaker wherein the message is communicated audibly through the speaker.

9. The method of claim 7, the message is displayed on the display.

10. The method of claim 6, the assistance provided to the customer is a personal communication with personnel from the establishment.