Patent ID: 7874481

Claim:
A method of maintaining a status of a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface including at least one region having visible markings representing a respective product item status and having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item, the method including: sensing by a sensing device at least one coded data portion; generating by the sensing device, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the product item identity; transferring by the sensing device the indicating data to a computer system; updating by the computer system an inventory stored in a data store using the product item identity, the inventory including at least an indication of a predetermined number of product items of respective product types; sensing by the sensing device coded data provided in the region; generating by the sensing device, using the sensed coded data, indicating data indicative of the respective product item status; transferring by the sensing device the indicating data to the computer system; and updating the inventory using the respective product item status, the updating steps including the sub-steps of: determining , using the indicating data, the product item type; determining the number of product items of the respective product item type; comparing the number of product items to the predetermined number; and in response to the comparison, at least one of: providing an indication of the product item type on a shopping list; updating the inventory; and taking no action.