Computer operation control and item selection and vending methods and systems

• US 8,162,221 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xoranno Group Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kenney, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US12/755,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20100230485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/462.01, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

A signal is transmitted into a computer in response to an image on a display screen of the computer such that the computer operates in response to the signal; this includes moving a scanner in optical communication with the display screen such that the scanner detects an image (for example, a bar code) displayed on the screen and generates the signal in response. One or more computers may be used, and this may be used for vending a product or other purposes. With or without such scanning, a portion of a store environment may be displayed on a screen of a computer, including showing images of actual products for sale at the store, in which images of actual products are accessed via the computer from a database containing in-store images recorded in the store during a period of non-existent or minimal customer presence in the store. A vending system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;

decoding, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and

in response to selection of one or more items from the list transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said image includes a portion of a store environment, including images of products for sale at the store environment and images associated with the products;

and

transmitting updated image data to replace the portion of the store environment included in the image with an image of a product.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said transmitting updated image data is performed over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said updated image data is obtained from a database of product image data.

5. A system comprising a processor and memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the system configured to:

cause display, at a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;

detect, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determine a list of at least one item; and

in response to selection of one or more items from the list, transmit data indicative of said selection to a second computer from said first computer.

6. A system comprising:

means for causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;

means for decoding at said first computer said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and

in response to selection of one or more items from the list, means for transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.

7. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions, the medium comprising:

instructions for causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;

instructions for decoding, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and

instructions for in response to selection of one or more items from the list, transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.

8. A method comprising:

causing display, at a first computing device, of data representing an image of a product, said image including image indicia;

identifying, at said first computing device, a product using said image indicia and causing display of a list of at least one item based on said identifying; and

transmitting data indicative of selected items from said list to a second computing device from said first computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said image indicia is a barcode.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said list comprises product name and price information.