Method and apparatus for transferring and processing transaction data

• US 7,299,970 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Peter N. Ching
• Original Assignee: Peter N. Ching
• Inventors: Ching, Peter N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US10/368,123
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/381, 235/383, 235/384, 235/385, 235/493, 235/494, 235/492, 717/127, 707/10, 705/26, 705/44, 705/43, 705/40, 705/41, 705/64, 705/51, 705/76
• US Class Current: 235/375
• 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 19/06056 the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1439 including a method step for retrieval of the optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

An information entry and reporting system and method for tracking data associated with retail transactions at the point of sale. Transaction data is converted into a machine readable dataform pattern and printed onto a sales receipt provided to the purchaser. Subsequently, the purchaser uses a suitably configured scanning device to read the dataform pattern into his or her computer. Software algorithms decode the scanned dataform pattern, extract the transaction data and store it for subsequent analysis and reporting. The system includes a computer, software adapted to retrieve selected data, assemble the retrieved data in a format suitable for encoding and encode the data in a dataform pattern, a printer to print the encoded transaction data, a scanning device to capture the encoded data, software to decode the transaction data and software to display the data in human readable form.

Claims

1. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

providing a magnetically encodable medium;

encoding said medium with data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first encodings, said data including at least one user-supplied annotation;

wherein said act of encoding further comprises using an optical recognition algorithm to read a hand-written one of said at least one annotation;

disposing the medium at a second location;

reading at least a portion of said first encodings at said second location to obtain at least portions of said data; and

processing said at least portions of data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of processing comprises:

analyzing said at least one annotation; and

storing at least portions of said transaction data in at least one storage location based at least in part on said act of analyzing.

3. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

providing an encodable medium;

encoding said medium with first data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first encodings, said data including at least one first user-supplied annotation;

printing a receipt, said receipt comprising said first encodings;

disposing the receipt at a second location; and

encoding said receipt with second data relating to at least one other transaction to produce second encodings, said second data including at least one second user-supplied annotation.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising disposing said receipt at a third location and selectively reading one or both of said first and second encodings.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising reading at least a portion of said first and/or second encodings at a third location to obtain at least portions of said data;

and

processing at least portions of said first and/or second read encodings.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said act of processing comprises:

analyzing said at least one annotation; and

storing at least portions of said transaction data in at least one storage location based at least in part on said act of analyzing.

7. Method of transaction data processing, comprising:

providing a plurality of transaction data;

partitioning said data into two or more parts; and

encoding said two or more parts into two or more symbolic representations of said data parts.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

subsequently decoding said two or more symbols to obtain said two or more parts; and

reassembling said two or more parts back into said plurality of transaction data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said act of providing comprises providing a plurality of transaction data including at least one user-provided annotation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said act of partitioning comprises partitioning said at last one annotation into a first of said two or more parts;

and

partitioning the remainder of said transaction data into a second portion of said two or more parts.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said two or more symbols are dataforms.

12. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation;

transmitting said at least one data packet to a remote entity adapted for at least temporary storage thereof;

downloading said at least one data packet to a second location; and

decoding said at least one data packet, including said at least one annotation;

wherein said act of encoding comprises;

partitioning said data into two or more parts; and

encoding said two or more parts into two or more symbolic representations of said data parts.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said two or more symbols are dataforms.

14. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

providing a magnetically encodable medium;

encoding said medium with data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first encodings, said data including at least one user-supplied annotation;

disposing the medium at a second location;

reading at least a portion of said first encodings at said second location to obtain at least portions of said data; and

processing said at least portions of data;

wherein said act of encoding comprises;

partitioning said data into two or more parts; and

encoding said two or more parts into two or more symbolic representations of said data parts; and

wherein said act of encoding said at least one user-supplied annotation comprises;

receiving user input via an input device;

converting said input to computer readable data; and

encoding said computer readable data onto said medium.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said two or more symbols are dataforms.

16. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation, said act of encoding further comprising using an optical recognition algorithm to read a hand-written one of said at least one annotation;

transmitting said at least one data packet to a remote entity adapted for at least temporary storage thereof;

downloading said at least one data packet to a second location; and

decoding said at least one data packet, including said at least one annotation.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising processing the at least one decoded annotation, said processing comprising associating at least one portion of said decoded annotation to at least one category within a database in data communication with said second location.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said act of encoding comprises selectively encoding only non-sensitive transaction data.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said act of transmitting comprises transmitting said at least one packet to an e-mail account.

20. A method of transaction data transfer, comprising:

a step for encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation;

a step for optically recognizing a hand-written one of said at least one annotation;

a step for transmitting said at least one data packet to a remote entity, said remote entity having means for storage of said at least one data packet;

a step for downloading said at least one data packet to a second location; and

a step for decoding said at least one data packet, including said at least one annotation.

21. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

providing an encodable medium;

encoding said medium with first data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce first encodings, said first encodings comprising an encoded dataform; and

providing said encoded medium to a purchaser, said purchaser being able to retrieve said first data relating to said at least one transaction at a second location.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said act of retrieving requires an authorized scanning device, said scanning device adapted to access a secure database record.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said encoded dataform comprises a linear barcode.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said encoded dataform comprises a matrix barcode.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said encoded medium further comprises a human readable version of said first data relating to at least one transaction at said first location.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said first data further comprises a hand-written annotation by said purchaser, said hand-written annotation being encoded using an optical recognition algorithm.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising a second algorithm, said second algorithm adapted to compare said hand-written annotation against a preset list of words, thereby allowing the characterization of said hand-written annotation to a predefined category of transaction.

28. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

providing a magnetically encodable medium;

encoding said medium with data relating to at least one transaction to produce first encodings, said data including at least one user-supplied annotation; and

wherein said act of encoding said at least one user-supplied annotation comprises;

reading a hand-written annotation using an optical recognition algorithm;

converting said hand-written annotation into computer readable data; and

encoding said medium with said computer readable data.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising reading at least a portion of said first encodings at a second location to obtain at least portions of said data.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said computer readable user-supplied annotation is compared against a preset list of words, said preset list of words being useful to categorize said user-supplied annotation.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said act of encoding comprises selectively encoding only non-sensitive transaction data.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said act of reading requires decoding said first encodings, said act of decoding being performed by an authorized scanning device having access to a secure database.

33. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation;

storing said at least one data packet on a storage medium and generating a transaction record locator number which identifies said at least one data packet;

transmitting said transaction record locator number to a remote entity adapted for at least temporary storage thereof; and

downloading said at least one data packet at a second location based at least in part on said transaction record locator number.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said act of encoding comprises using an optical recognition algorithm to read a hand-written one of said at least one annotation.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said act of transmitting occurs using a wireless protocol.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said remote entity is a PDA.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said remote entity is a cellular telephone.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein said remote entity is a printer, said printer adapted to print said transaction record locator number as a dataform.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising processing the at least one user-supplied annotation, said processing comprising associating at least one portion of said annotation to at least one category within a database in data communication with said second location.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein said act of encoding comprises selectively encoding only non-sensitive transaction data.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein said act of transmitting comprises transmitting said transaction record locator number to an e-mail account.

42. Method of transaction data processing, comprising:

providing a plurality of transaction data;

analyzing said plurality of transaction data;

selectively partitioning said data into two or more parts based at least in part on said act of analyzing; and

encoding said two or more parts into two or more dataforms.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

subsequently decoding said two or more dataforms; and

reassembling said two or more parts back into said plurality of transaction data.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said act of providing comprises providing a plurality of transaction data including at least one user-provided annotation.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said act of partitioning comprises partitioning said at last one annotation into a first of said two or more parts;

and

partitioning the remainder of said transaction data into a second portion of said two or more parts.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein said two or more dataforms are linear barcodes.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein said two or more dataforms are matrix barcodes.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein said act of selectively partitioning is in response to exceeding the storage capacity of a single one of said dataforms.

49. The method of claim 42, further comprising joining said two or more dataforms back into a single transaction set.

50. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation;

storing said at least one data packet on a storage medium and generating a transaction record locator dataform which identifies said at least one data packet;

printing said transaction record locator dataform; and

downloading said at least one data packet at a second location using said transaction record locator dataform.

51. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

providing an encodable medium and a plurality of transaction data;

partitioning said data into two or more parts;

encoding said two or more parts into two or more symbols;

encoding said medium with said two or more symbols at a first location; and

providing said encoded medium to a purchaser, said purchaser being able to retrieve said plurality of transaction data at a second location using said encoded medium.

52. A method of transaction data processing, comprising:

encoding a plurality of data relating to at least one transaction at a first location to produce at least one data packet, said at least one data packet including at least one user-supplied annotation, said act of encoding further comprising using an optical recognition algorithm to read a hand-written one of said at least one annotation; and

transmitting said at least one data packet to a remote entity adapted for at least temporary storage thereof, said remote entity further being adapted for downloading said at least one data packet to a second location and decoding said at least one data packet, including said at least one annotation.