Patent ID: RE41716

Claim:
A self-contained modular signature capture device that has functionality without a host system and is useable during a transaction by a user to provide user-profile information, comprising: a writing/display unit including a pad responsive to writing thereon with a passive stylus, and including a liquid crystal display superimposed with said pad; a central processor unit (CPU) coupled to read-only-memory (ROM) storing at least one software routine executable by said CPU for operating said device, and further coupled to random access memory (RAM), and to said writing/display unit; an ISA-compatible bus coupled to said CPU; an ISA-compatible bus coupled to said CPU; a bus; electronic circuitry, coupled to said bus and responsive to said writing so as to present on said display an image of said writing readable by said user; interface circuitry, coupled to said bus, to permit operatively coupling at least one add-on accessory to said device; a magnetic card sub-unit, coupled to said bus, to permit magnetically reading and writing data to a card carrying at least two stripes of magnetic media; and communication interface circuitry, coupled to said bus, to permit coupling said device to a communications link for data transfer to an electronic system, said data including user-profile data; wherein during said transaction transferred said data enables said electronic system to select, based upon at least a purchase made during said transaction and upon any said user-profile data previously stored for said user, for immediate display and viewing by said user media relevant to said user's user-profile.