Patent ID: 7231380

Claim:
A system for providing product location information within a store, the system comprising: a first user interface positioned within the store in a substantially stationary manner, the first user interface configured to receive an input signal from a user related to a product that may be available within the store, to process the input signal and to provide a product inquiry signal in response to the input signal, the first user interface further configured to receive an information signal, and to provide an output signal in response to the information signal, and an inventory information unit coupled to the first user interface and comprising a database containing product location information and additional product-related information including product availability information, the inventory information unit configured to provide the information signal to the first user interface after receiving the product inquiry signal from the first user interface, wherein the information signal provided by the inventory information unit at least sometimes includes a first portion of the product location information, and wherein the information signal provided by the inventory information unit depends at least sometimes upon a first portion of the product availability information, whereby, when the input signal is indicative of a product location inquiry and the inventory information unit determines based upon the product availability information that the product is unavailable at a location, the inventory information unit configures the information signal so that the output signal provided by the user interface does not provide an indication that the product is available at the location.