Patent ID: 6978930
Filing Date: 2005-12-27
Classification: G06Q,G07F,G07G

Abstract:
1. A shopping system for scanning codes related to products and for retrieving data associated with the codes, the shopping system comprising: a battery-operated personal code scanner having a size and a shape such that the scanner is hand-held, the scanner including a light source for projecting a light from the scanner to the code to be scanned, an optical sensor for detecting light reflected from the code and for generating an electrical signal in response to detecting the reflected light, a microcontroller for decoding the electrical signal to decoded data, memory operatively coupled to the microcontroller for storing the decoded data and at least one identification code to identify a user of the scanner, the identification code being unique to the scanner and a user, and an infrared emitter operatively coupled to the microcontroller for transferring the identification code and the decoded data from the scanner by infrared communication; at least a first shopping kiosk for receiving the decoded data from the scanner including a processor and an infrared receiver, the infrared receiver being configured by an application program used by the processor to enable the infrared receiver to receive the identification code by infrared communication and, upon the processor recognizing the identification code, to establish a communications data link with the scanner such that the infrared emitter can transfer the decoded code to the infrared receiver; and at least a first host computer operatively coupled to the first shopping kiosk, the first host computer and the first shopping kiosk being configured to enable a two-way communications link between the first host computer and the first shopping kiosk, the first host computer including a processor and memory, the processor being configured with one or more application programs to receive the decoded data from the first shopping kiosk through the communications link and to identify information related to the decoded data, wherein, in response to identifying the information related to the decoded data, the processor selects and retrieves stored information from the memory and transmits the retrieved information to the first shopping kiosk through the communications link, and the first shopping kiosk provides the retrieved information in a useable format.