WO2000045325A1

WO2000045325A1 - System and method for helping consumers select point-of-sale items

Info

Publication number: WO2000045325A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/010124
Authority: WO
Inventors: John W. L. Ogilvie
Original assignee: Ogilvie John W L
Priority date: 1999-01-31
Filing date: 1999-05-08
Publication date: 2000-08-03
Also published as: CA2359900A1; AU3977599A

Abstract

Methods, articles, signals, and systems are provided for facilitating the selection, location, rental, and purchase of video cassettes and other entertainment modules, and other point of sale items. One version of a novel hand-held device (510) includes a bar code scanner (600) and a database of reviews. When the user scans the bar code on an item, reviews of the item are displayed on the hand-held device (510). Another version adds database search capability, so the user can search for related reviews to learn more about a given item or identify other items of interest, using the scanned item as a starting point. A third version of the hand-held device (510) omits the scanner (600) and provides a database of reviews, together with item availability and location information. Methods of the invention include uses of hand-held devices by retailers and by consumers to help consumers learn more about an item at the point in time and space where a purchase decision is often made, and to do so without requiring direct assistance from a salesperson.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HELPING CONSUMERS SELECT POINT-OF-SALE ITEMS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to tools and techniques for assisting consumers in the selection of video cassettes, software, books, wines, and other point-of-sale items for purchase and/or rental. More particularly, the present invention provides hand-held devices, and methods for using them, which make reviews and other information readily available to individual consumers who are considering an item for purchase or rental.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Video cassettes, DVD disks, video game cartridges, music CDs and tapes, books on paper or electronic media, software, and other entertainment modules are available for rental at many retail outlets. Many video rental stores, bookstores, software resellers, and other retail outlets also sell copies of such entertainment modules, either with or without making them available for rental. The '076 application focused on a relatively narrow range of entertainment modules, such as movie video cassettes and video games. But devices and methods of the '076 application are also readily applied to videos, books, software, and other items that facilitate tasks which are sometimes less than entertaining, such as books or programs for accounting, tax preparation, word processing, spreadsheet management, and other business management and operation tasks. For convenience, all these are also referred to as "entertainment modules" regardless of the extent to which personal entertainment is their immediate purpose. Entertainment modules share one or more characteristics such as the storage media, marketing channels, and/or production methods used, and they tend to rely on copyright law for protection.

Entertainment modules in turn are examples of point-of-sale items. For convenience, this term refers to a sale but it should be understood that rentals are included when that makes sense. For instance, rented video cassettes are point-of-sale items. Some point- of-sale items which are not entertainment modules but which can nonetheless be used beneficially with tools and techniques like those discussed in the '076 application include wines, cars, power tools, household appliances, motorcycles, guns, computers, consumer electronics, bicycles, boats, sporting equipment, fax machines and other office equipment, clothing, home or office furniture, and other consumer goods.

Some point-of-sale items, such as wine, are available to consumers primarily or solely through local retail outlets. But other options are available with other items. For instance, some consumers have access to entertainment module content through cable modems, Internet connections, or other media delivery mechanisms which transport content directly to the consumer's home. Consumers may also view movies in a theater instead of renting a cassette or DVD. Nonetheless, many people appreciate being able to rent or buy entertainment modules and other point-of-sale items from a local store.

Unfortunately, selecting a point-of-sale item can pose certain difficulties. Helpful recommendations may be sought from friends who have seen the movie or played the game or tasted the wine or driven the car under consideration. Consulting published reviews by professional or amateur critics can also help. Personnel in the store may also be helpful when one seeks recommendations and/or inquires as to the availability or location of a particular desired selection. But when published reviews are not readily available, or available only in an inconvenient format, and store personnel are busy helping others, the lack of ready access to information that would assist in making a selection and/or locating an instance of a desired selection can be discouraging.

In particular, although consumers often select entertainment modules and other point-of-sale items without independent reviews, better access to reviews would be helpful. For instance, when a consumer at a retail outlet is considering renting or buying a particular video cassette or video game, the primary source of information about the potential selection is often the packaging and statements from friends who have seen the movie or played the game in question. Likewise, when purchasing software or wine, the packaging and comments from a few other people may be relied on heavily. Packaging can provide helpful information. For instance, video cassette or DVD packaging may contain brief statements from well-known (or obscure) critics, a list of actors, the name of the director, and a plot summary. But packages rarely if ever reproduce independent critical reviews (articles, guides, reports, etc.) of the type which are published in newspapers, magazines, books, and/or web sites.

The additional information and different perspectives provided by independent reviews can boost revenues. Rental and sales volumes can increase because consumers who are on the cusp of a decision can get enough additional information or confidence from the review to make the decision to rent or buy. Moreover, even if the consumer decides not to rent or buy the particular point-of-sale item in question, ready access to reviews can encourage the consumer to look at other possible rentals or purchases while in the store. To the extent that a consumer rents or buys a point-of-sale item without adequate information, there is also a risk that the consumer will be less satisfied, and therefore less likely to rent or buy such items in the future, at least from the retailer in question. In short, more information is better, despite the fact that many consumers make rental and purchase decisions based on word-of-mouth and packaging alone.

However, reviews and other supplemental information are only helpful to the extent that they are easily accessed by consumers at the time and place where consumer decisions are being made. Traditionally, stores have tried to provide information through the packaging, knowledgeable salespeople, and occasionally through a newspaper or magazine clipping or a reference to a review or an award such as an editor's choice award. Some video rental stores provide paperback copies of movie review books. But all these sources of information can be supplemented using the present invention.

References which mention or discuss various conventional tools and techniques used by consumers to make rental and purchase decisions about point-of-sale items are identified and discussed relative to the present invention in a Petition for Special Examining Procedure filed concurrently with the present application. To the extent that the Petition describes the technical background of the invention as opposed to the invention itself, the text of the Petition is incorporated herein by this reference. This incorporation by reference does not imply that the claimed invention was previously known.

As a specific example which illustrates the shortcomings of current approaches, consider a consumer in a video rental store who is looking for a movie and carrying a personal copy of a book containing thousands of movie reviews. This consumer has more information at hand than most consumers facing a similar decision. But information is still not as readily available as it could be. For instance, suppose a particular package catches the consumer's eye. The consumer reads the package, but wants to know more about the movie in question. The consumer must then search in hundreds of pages and thousands of reviews to find out whether a review of the movie is provided in the book. In some cases, the reviews are divided according to category, and the user may have to flip through reviews in two or more categories before locating the relevant review. This type of search might be conducted several times if several different movies are being considered. Moreover, if the consumer wants the perspective of several different reviewers, then the consumer must lug several different books of reviews from place to place within the store. As another example, suppose no particular package has caught the consumer's attention, but the consumer is in the mood for a movie in a certain category (e.g., Western, science-fiction, horror, ...) or the consumer has heard that the recent movie starring a particular actor is worth considering. How is the consumer to identify the movie or movies that fit such constraints? Moreover, once a desired movie is identified, how is the consumer to determine whether this store has a copy and whether or not that copy is available? Conventionally, the consumer searches within shelves of movies that are organized alphabetically with a given category, and/or asks a clerk who checks an inventory database. If the movie is stored under a different category, or the clerk is busy helping other customers, then the consumer faces delays and a lack of information. Similar problems face consumers who are trying to obtain additional information about other point-of-sale items.

Accordingly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide improved methods and devices for helping customers obtain independent reviews of point-of-sale items within a retail store without requesting assistance from a clerk. It would also be an advancement to provide improved methods and devices for helping customers determine the location and availability of point-of-sale items within a retail store without requesting assistance from a clerk.

Such improved methods and devices, and related improvements for helping customers select point-of-sale items, are described and claimed herein. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods, articles, signals, and systems for facilitating the selection and/or location of point-of-sale items such as entertainment modules by consumers who are considering renting or buying such items. As used herein, the term "entertainment module" includes videocassettes, video disks such as DVD disks, video game modules or cartridges, audio cassettes, and other storage media containing entertainment or other potentially copyrightable content. The term "point-of-sale item" includes entertainment modules as well as items which do not traditionally rely heavily on copyright law for protection, such as wine, cars, appliances, furniture, power tools, clothing, jewelry, consumer electronics, and other items.

In one embodiment, the invention includes a hand-held device containing a database, an easy-to-use interface, and a scanner. The database can include reviews by professional and/or amateur critics. One illustrative example includes a database of movie reviews; reviews of other point-of-sale items can be similarly provided and used with other goods. In the case of movie reviews, the reviews may be organized according to a wide variety of criteria such as director, actors, year, category, and level of recommendation. Wine reviews may be organized according to criteria such as the type of wine, the year, and the vintner. Automotive reviews may be organized according to criteria such as the make, model, year, type of vehicle, repair history, safety tests, cost, and so on. The scanner is capable of scanning bar codes, other written encoded data forms, and/or printed text, to identify a particular item to the device so that the device can then provide information about the item. For instance, the scanner may be used to read a barcode or printed movie title on a box holding a video cassette, a bar-code on a bottle of wine, or a bar-code on a window sticker on a vehicle in a dealer's lot. The interface preferably does not require typing. In some embodiments, the interface includes a few dedicated buttons to assist navigation through the database. Voice recognition can also be used. In one embodiment, user selections and/or comments are stored on a readily available medium such as a 3.5 inch floppy disk.

More generally, the nature of the interface reflects the functionality of the device. In one very simple embodiment, the interface is essentially limited to the scanner and a display. This embodiment may be limited to receiving the identity of a particular item through the scanner and then displaying information about that item. This can be used, for instance, by consumer who picks up a video cassette and wants to know more about the movie in question. After the device scans the bar code on the video cassette box, the device displays a review or other information about the video in question. More complex embodiments also allow a user to search a database using keywords, categories, numeric ranges, and/or other constraints. For instance, one embodiment allows the user who is in the mood for a comedy or looking for a movie by a particular director to search a database of reviews to identify such movies, make a decision, and then query the store's inventory system through a wireless connection to determine whether a copy of a particular movie is available. Neither the simple nor the more complex embodiment necessarily requires any assistance from a clerk.

In operation, the device thus provides a consumer with ready access to information such as the following: reviews regarding a movie or game or bottle of wine or appliance or other point-of-sale item which is identified to the device using the scanner; the physical location of a desired point-of-sale item within a particular retail outlet; the cost, rental term, and related availability information about a desired point-of-sale item; and information about other point-of-sale items that may be of interest to the consumer. The device and a variety of associated methods thereby help customers obtain independent reviews and other information about point-of-sale items within a retail store without requesting assistance from a clerk. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To illustrate the manner in which the advantages and features of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention will be given with reference to the attached drawings. These drawings only illustrate selected aspects of the invention and thus do not limit the invention's scope. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating conventional methods of selecting point-of-sale items, from a consumer's point of view.

Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating methods of the present invention for selecting point-of-sale items, again from the consumer's point of view.

Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating conventional methods for helping consumers select and purchase point-of-sale items, from a merchant's point of view. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating methods of the present invention for helping consumers select and purchase point-of-sale items, again from the merchant's point of view.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a retail location according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a hand-held electronic device of the present invention which provides information to help consumers select point-of-sale items.

Figure 7 is a top view of a device according to Figure 6 which provides scanning functionality. Figure 8 is a scanner-end view of a device according to Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an opposite-end view of the device shown in Figure 8. Figure 10 is a block diagram side view of a first device according to Figure 6. Figure 11 is a block diagram side view of a second device according to Figure 6. Figure 12 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a device according to Figure 6 which provides scanning and searching functionality.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for a device according to Figure 6, for embodiments which provide scanning functionality without searching functionality. Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for devices according to Figure 6, suitable for embodiments which provide both scanning functionality and searching functionality and also suitable for embodiments which provide searching functionality without scanning functionality.

Figures 15 and 16 are diagrams illustrating scan result signals which may be embodied in a device according to Figure 6 or another hand-held electronic device. Figures 17 and 18 are diagrams illustrating search result signals which may be embodied in a device according to Figure 6 or another hand-held electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present intention provides consumer methods, merchant methods, retail systems, hand-held devices, and other tools and techniques for helping consumers select point-of-sale items. In particular, the present invention provides hand-held electronic devices and associated methods to make product reviews and other pertinent information easily available to a consumer who is making a rental or purchase decision. The consumer can read the desired reviews and obtain related information regarding product location and availability without seeking assistance from a clerk, without carrying books or magazines containing reviews, and without carrying the point- of-sale item over to a scanner station or a computer terminal. Instead, the inventive device makes the information available where and when the consumer wants it. Accordingly, the device includes a portable output such as a display and/or speakers.

Terminology

Throughout this document, the terms "point-of-sale items" and "products" are used interchangeably. Numerous examples are provided, but a common thread is that consumers make their rental or purchase decisions about point-of-sale items/products based on subjective judgments of the type reflected in reviews or recommendations.

In general, references herein to a "purchase" or "sale" also include rentals unless specifically indicated otherwise. "Consumers" include person making purchases for home or business purposes, and

"consumer goods" includes goods intended for use in a home, school, business, public facility, or other location. Consumer goods are not commodities such as bulk wheat, or intangibles such as easements (software is considered tangible, even if delivered electronically over an Internet connection). Consumer goods are often mass-produced, but may also be limited edition or one-of-a-kind items, such as paintings or yachts.

"Consumer assistance information" includes information provided to a consumer (as opposed to an employee or retail owner) about the availability of a point-of-sale item for purchase (or rental) and/or information about the physical location of a point-of-sale item at a retail site. In some embodiments, consumer assistance information includes information about the quality or characteristics of a point-of-sale item in the form of one or more reviews of the item.

In discussing the invention, "marker" includes bar codes as well as other written or printed indicia such as target codes and text that can be optically scanned to transmit information to a computer or computerized hand-held device, and related labeling and scanning technologies. Target codes are square printed codes having encoded information around a central target which is defined by concentric circles; target codes are used on United Parcel Service labels, for instance. "Marker" also includes magnetic indicia similar to those used on credit cards or checks. "Marker" also includes electronic identification technologies such as those used in implantable passive radio transponders. Such transponders (and related implantation and scanning technologies) are conventionally used with animals, such as race horses. However, transponders may also be used according to the present invention with point-of-sale items such as cars, boats, paintings, and the like, when the additional security provided by an implanted marker is desired.

"Vehicle" includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, planes, bicycles, trains, and other mechanical transportation devices or systems.

The term "credit card" is used broadly, to include not only credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, or American Express cards, but also bank account debit cards and stored-money cards.

"Hand-held" includes "portable", as suggested by the emphasis on making the hand-held device readily available at the consumer decision point. A computer workstation or listening station does not become hand-held even if part of it is held in a consumer's hand, because it is not easily carried as the consumer moves about. Likewise, devices with signal cables or power cables that prevent users from carrying the device around a store are not portable, and hence not "hand-held" as that term is used here.

On the other hand, portability alone is not enough to make something a "device". Devices are electronic, and include at least a portable display and/or other portable output such as speakers. A television remote control is not a hand-held device as contemplated by the invention because it does not include such a portable output. A portable tape or CD player is electronic and includes a portable output, but would not ordinarily be configured to provide consumer assistance information as defined herein; it would not be responsive to scanner and/or search query input provided by a consumer. Other terms are defined elsewhere herein, expressly and/or implicitly.

Consumer Methods

To better understand the invention, is helpful to understand conventional alternatives to the invention. For instance, Figure 1 illustrates conventional methods of selecting point-of-sale items, from a consumer's point of view.

Selection of a point-of-sale item often begins with a consumer having a general idea what is desired, but having not yet selected a specific point-of-sale item. For instance, during a category choosing step 100, a consumer who is considering renting or buying a video might decide to look for a Western or a horror film. Likewise, a consumer who is considering buying some wine might choose white wine, and a consumer who is considering an appliance purchase might focus on vacuums. Sometimes a consumer has one or more specific product features in mind. For instance, during a feature choosing step 102 a consumer might narrow the scope of possible products by limiting the movies to those starring a particular actor, by limiting power tools to those built by a particular manufacturer, and so on. Whether a particular product description is viewed as defining categories under step 100 or features under step 102 is somewhat arbitrary; both steps are described mainly to make it clear that a wide variety of criteria may be used to narrow the products under consideration.

Having chosen one or more characteristics during step 100 and/or step 102, the consumer may proceed in various ways. Some consumers in some cases will check product reviews during a step 104. These reviews may be published in books, in magazines, in newspapers, and/or online (e.g., on the Internet or World Wide Web or through forums in a commercial service). Reviews may be accessed by an act as simple as opening a personal copy of a book of movie reviews, or through more complex activity, such as traveling to a library and researching product reviews in past issues of relevant magazines.

During a traveling step 106, the consumer travels to a retail location where the consumer hopes to find a suitable product. Just as the type of product involved may vary widely, so too may the type of retail location. To give a few non-limiting examples, if the product in question is a video cassette, then the retail location may be a nationally franchised store; if the product is an alcoholic beverage, then the retail location may be a liquor store managed and operated by the state; and if the product is a motorized vehicle, then the retail location may be a dealer's showroom or lot.

Once the consumer is at a retail location which sells products of the type in question, the consumer may be able to locate candidate products by virtue of familiarity gained from previous visits, by following signs within the store, and/or by asking a salesperson during a step 108. For instance, someone looking for a video suitable for young children might ask the salesperson where the "kids" videos are located.

During a step 110, the consumer considers packaging or sticker information provided on or near the candidate product(s). As used here, "packaging" refers to printed materials which are provided with or attached to a product and which provide information about the product prior to a purchase of the product. As noted elsewhere, "purchase" includes rentals when renting a point-of-sale item is an option. Examples of packaging includes video cassette boxes, DVD jewel cases, power consumption and efficiency stickers on household appliances, and stickers of the type commonly used on car and truck windows at a dealership to list prices and options.

During a step 1 12,the consumer may consider paper reviews such as those found in magazines, newspapers, books, or prints made from web pages. For instance, a consumer looking for a video to rent might take a book of movie reviews into the video store and consult the book before making a rental decision. Likewise, a consumer who is looking at various wines might look at a list from a wine review that was published in a magazine or newspaper.

During a step 114, the consumer may ask others for recommendations. For instance, the consumer might ask whether a salesperson has seen the movie in question, used the tool in question, or ridden the motorcycle in question. The consumer might ask salespeople how they think the consumer would look in a particular piece of clothing. The consumer might also ask bystanders, who are themselves considering point-of-sale items for rental or purchase at the same location. With the ready availability of cellular phones, the consumer might also make a phone call to seek a recommendation during step 114 from someone who is not physically at the retail location with the consumer.

Finally, during a step 116 the consumer makes a decision as to whether to purchase (or rent) a particular item. The preceding steps were generally directed toward making this decision in an informed way which is more likely to keep the consumer satisfied after a rental or purchase is made (or not made). Note that the decision point, both in terms of time and space, is not necessarily made at the so-called "point-of-sale" in the store. That is, consumers frequently make their decisions about items on the sales floor, not at the sales counter where payments are made. An important advantage of the present invention is the ability to make information available to consumers where and when the decision is made, without requiring the consumer to move somewhere else or wait long for the information. Like the other flowcharts presented herein, Figure 1 is intended only as an aid for understanding. Figure 1 should not be taken as a rigid summary of every aspect of the prior art. The prior art is also described in the Technical Background, in the Petition for Special Examining Procedure, and in the references filed with the Petition.

Thus, steps of Figure 1 may be repeated, as when several paper reviews are checked during instances of step 112 and/or several recommendations are sought during instances of 114, before a decision is made in step 1 16. Steps may also be omitted, as when step 108 is omitted because the consumer already knows where to look in the store. Either or both of steps 1 12, 114 may also be omitted before a particular decision-making step 116. Moreover, one may exit the flowchart of Figure 1 after any of the steps 100 through 108, without performing the later steps. Steps may also be reordered or done concurrently, unless one step requires the result of a previous step. For instance, one might choose both categories and features (steps 100, 102), or one might seek a recommendation while checking a paper review (steps 1 12, 1 14). Steps may also be grouped differently or renamed. Any or all of these variations may be present regardless of whether they are expressly described or shown as optional here. Figure 2 illustrates methods of the present invention for selecting point-of-sale items. As with Figure 1, the methods are discussed from a consumer's point of view. Some steps of Figure 1 also appear in Figure 2, because the present invention is compatible with prior approaches. For instance, the category choosing step 100, feature choosing step 102, step of checking usual sources 104, and traveling step 106, may all be done in the same manner as in a conventional approach. Many of the conventional steps used by consumers can also be used in the context of the present invention, because the invention provides consumers with the option of supplementing their sources of information. Some consumers may choose to replace their current sources of information rather than supplement them, but this decision is left to the individual consumers. During a step 200 the consumer obtains a configured hand-held device which can be used to provide additional information before the consumer makes a rental or purchase decision. Suitable hand-held devices are discussed in detail below. Because the device is hand-held, it can provide helpful information to consumers at the point where the decision is made. The consumer need not move away from the displayed item or carry the item from its display location to some other location. Also, once operation of the device is understood, the consumer need not wait for help from a salesperson in order to consult the device. This makes the device more convenient to the consumer, and from the retailer's point of view, promotes consumer satisfaction.

The configured hand-held device may be obtained from a salesperson at the retail location, or from a self-serve rack holding such devices at the retail location. Devices may also be owned by individual consumers, or leased to individual consumers, in which case the consumer carries the device to the store, uses it there, and then carries it back home afterward.

During a step 202, the consumer asks the device and/or a salesperson for the location of particular point-of-sale items. With regard to asking a salesperson, step 202 may proceed as during the conventional step 108. However, the device might also help consumers locate salespeople through means such as directions shown to the consumer to lead the consumer to a sales desk, or a paging mechanism which brings a salesperson to the consumer. The salesperson can then answer questions not addressed by the device. Alternately, during step 202 the device may display a map or other directions which lead the consumer directly to a place in the retail location that is likely to contain the point-of- sale item of interest, without any intervention or assistance from salespeople.

Having located one or more point-of-sale items of interest, the consumer then considers the packaging or sticker information, in a manner similar to that under conventional approaches. The consumer may also ask others for recommendations during a step 114, just as in conventional approaches.

During a step 204, the consumer checks one or more information sources. This may include checking paper reviews and other traditional sources, as was done during conventional step 112. However, traditional sources of information about the quality and characteristics of items may be supplemented or replaced during step 204 by using the configured hand-held device as an information source. The device can provide copies of reviews digitized from paper media, copies of reviews produced elsewhere in electronic media, access to a database of related reviews and information such as cars having similar features, or other movies in the same category. The device may also use various algorithms to arrive at suggestions based on input such as other movies this consumer has rented in the past, feedback from the consumer about those movies, and correlations between movies seen by this consumer and movies seen by other consumers. Finally, during a step 206, the consumer makes a rental or purchase decision. This decision resembles the decision made during step 116, but unlike that step, the present decision is aided or informed by the consumer's use of the hand-held device.

Merchant Methods

A better understanding of the invention may also be gained by considering conventional retail methods. Figure 3 illustrates several aspects of point-of-sale item retailing from a merchant's point of view. As with Figures 1 and 2, Figure 3 is provided as an aid to understanding and is not intended to be comprehensive. As with the other Figures, steps in Figure 3 can be omitted, re-ordered, repeated, renamed, and/or regrouped, in a wide variety of ways in which will all, however, makes sense to those of skill in the art.

During a stocking step 300, the retailer stocks point-of-sale items at a retail location. This includes selecting the items, arranging for their purchase or consignment, arranging shipping and insurance, unloading them, placing them on the shelves or the display floor, marking them with stickers for pricing, and so on. These acts may be done in various ways and combinations.

During an inventory database maintaining step 302, information about point-of-sale items is entered in an inventory database. A wide variety of inventory databases systems and software are commercially available. However, access to these conventional databases is normally restricted in at least two ways. First, access is granted only to employees or other authorized persons. In many cases, access is not even granted to every employee, but is limited to those with specific inventory maintenance or tracking responsibilities. Second, database maintenance is often performed at workstations, which may be scattered about the retail location, but which are generally limited in number and not placed for the convenience of retail consumers. In some cases, retail employees with responsibility for tracking inventory may have portable devices which are used to build a body of information that is then downloaded into the main database at a workstation.

The step 302 may include associating bar codes or other markers with point-of-sale items. While using bar codes or other markers to mark and track point-of-sale items is an optional part of conventional retail methods, such acts are an important part of the present invention. During a step 304, information and incentives are provided to customers. This is done to assist customers in making a selection they will be satisfied with. Encouraging consumers to make suitable rentals or purchases ultimately generates revenues for the merchant during a step 316. Product information and sales incentives can be provided to consumers in some or all of the following ways: through salespeople during their conversations with consumers in a step 306; through product displays such as row-end displays and counter-top displays in a step 308; through text and images on stickers, boxes, tags, and other packaging in a step 310; through the arrangement of goods, such as by placing candy and snacks next to videos, or placing photography guides next to cameras in a step 312; and/or through signs, posters, banners, coupon dispensers, and other advertisements in a step 314. The advertising step 314 may include advertising on television, the Internet, in print media, and other conventional forms of advertising.

If all goes well, revenues are collected during the step 316, expenses (salaries, inventory, lease, franchise fees, taxes, and so on) are paid during a step 318, and the merchant has a good profit left afterward. However, in many industries the retail sales business is extremely competitive, and merchants must constantly seek efficiencies and new opportunities to stay profitable.

Figure 4 illustrates methods of the present invention for helping merchants serve their customers better and thus promote their own business and personal goals. Some steps of Figure 3 also appear in Figure 4, because the present invention is compatible with prior approaches. For instance, the stocking step 300 and the conventional steps 306 to 314 for providing consumers with product information and sales incentives may all be done in the same manner with the present invention as in a conventional approach. Some of the acts needed for database maintenance 302, revenue collection 316, and expense payment 318 may also be carried forward from conventional approaches into an operation according to the invention, namely, acts do not involve use of the novel hand-held device or corresponding markers.

However, in maintaining the database during a step 400 a merchant can enter or update information of the type which is displayed on the novel device or used by the novel device to identify particular point-of-sale items. For instance, the database can contain reviews of a given point-of-sale item; a numeric or alphanumeric identifier which connects the reviews and other related information in the database for the item to the result of scanning a bar-code or other marker on the item; and information about the price, rental terms, delivery date, factory options, discounts, and/or other availability data pertaining to the item.

By coordinating the hand-held device with the inventory database, a merchant can provide information and incentives to customers during a step 402 in one or both of at least two novel ways. First, salespeople, displays, advertising, and other conventional means can be used to inform the consumer of the availability of the hand-held device. Second, during a step 404 information and incentives can be provided directly to consumers through the hand-held devices. For instance, the consumer can see reviews of a point-of-sale item by scanning the marker on the item to identify the item to the device and then reading the review information subsequently displayed on the device. Information about specific incentives pertaining to the point-of-sale item in question can also be displayed on the device, either with the review or without it.

The novel device contributes to a revenue generating step 406 by helping consumers obtain information at the decision point, namely, when and where the purchase decision is made during step 206. Step 406 may include generating revenues by encouraging sales or rentals through the device 510 or with the assistance of the device 510.

Step 406 may also include collecting revenues by accepting electronic money information through the device 510, thereby supplementing or replacing the conventional collection of revenues during step 316 by collecting revenues directly from the consumer. For instance, some embodiments of the device include a module which reads a credit card or other electronic money card, coordinates the transaction (if necessary) with a transaction processing system provided by a bank or other authorized transaction processing service provider, and then informs the inventory database of the purchase. Coordination with an entity outside the store is generally necessary for credit cards and debit cards; such coordination is not required with stored-money cards, which simply reflect a credit balance stored electronically on the card.

Regardless of the card type involved, as the user subsequently leaves the store, a scanner at the exit identifies the device through a second transponder or bar-code scan. The security system accesses the inventory database, notes that payment has been made, and allows the consumer to leave without raising any security alarm. Thus, in some embodiments of the invention consumers can use the device not only to gain additional information before making a purchase, but also to actually make the purchase.

As just described, use of the device may significantly reduce the need for human sales assistance. This allows a given salesperson to cover a larger territory, in terms of the type of products covered, the physical area covered, and/or the number of consumers in the area for which the salesperson is responsible. Thus, expenses for salary, training, and benefits may be reduced. A step 408 may include in identifying the device as an expense, but depending on the circumstances, use of the device may reduce other expenses such as labor costs during step 306 and/or advertising costs during step 314.

Retail Location

Figure 5 illustrates a retail location 500 which is configured according to the present invention. One or more point-of-sale items 502 are stocked at the retail location. If the location 500 includes a store or other building located on a piece of land, then the point-of-sale items 502 may be displayed on shelves or racks. Larger items 502 such as cars may be placed outdoors in a sales lot when the location 500 includes such a lot; a building may also be present but is not always required. Point-of-sale items 502 requiring special environments, such as race horses, purebred dogs, or yachts, can be placed in appropriate enclosures and/or confined with appropriate structures such as fences, stalls, piers, and so on. The retail location 500 may be part or all of a specialty store, a department store, a dealership, a gallery, a yard, a ranch, or another retail sales location. When the items 502 are ships, boats, or the like, the location 500 will not necessarily include any building or underlying real property. However, it is expected that in each case a consumer will be allowed to move about within the location 500, to identify items 502 that may be of interest.

In general, each item 502 will include some form of packaging 504, a marker 506, and some sort of contents 508. Various types of packaging 504 have already been discussed. In some cases, no packaging 504 will be present. For instance, horses and boats might be displayed without any attendant packaging. Moreover, use of the present invention would allow one to do away with packaging 504, since the information carried on the packaging 504 can be displayed on a hand-held device 510 once the marker 506 has been scanned to identify the particular item 502 to the device 510. The device 510 may be a palm-sized computer running the Microsoft Windows CE or 3Com Pal operating system, properly configured to provide searching functionality as described and claimed herein, or the device 510 may be a similar portable computing device configured to add scanning functionality as described and claimed herein. Reference to the contents 508 broadly denotes the substantive part of the item 502 which would be transferred to the consumer on purchase (or rental). For instance, the content 508 of a videocassette includes the entertainment content; the content 508 of a car includes the wheels, engine, seats, body, and so forth; and the content 508 of a bottle of wine would include at least the wine, and perhaps the bottle as well. As discussed in connection with step 200, the hand-held device 510 is obtained by the consumer. The device 510 is configured with software and/or hardware beyond that found in combination in conventional tools, to make the device 510 operate as described herein. For instance, the consumer uses the device 510 to scan the bar code or other marker 506, thereby identifying the item 502 to the device 510 and allowing the device to provide the consumer with reviews and other information about the item 502. The device 510 may provide the consumer with controlled access to a database system 512 without scanning a maker 510, allowing the device 510 to direct the consumer to a given item 502 or group of items 502 within the retail location 500. For instance, the consumer might query the device 510 to find out where sport utility vehicles are located on a sales lot. In some embodiments, part or all of the database is stored on the device 510; in others, part or all is stored on a separate computer which communicates with the device 510 through a wireless data link.

The database system 512 can be implemented using conventional inventory database hardware and software, including relational database systems, object-oriented database systems, replicated database systems, and the like. Coordination between handheld device(s) 510 and the database system 512 is discussed at various points throughout this document, including without limitation in connection with steps 202, 204, 400, and 406. Tools and techniques are known for synchronization between databases on a PC or larger computer and a partial or full replica on a device such as a palm-sized computer. Such tools and techniques may also be employed to synchronize the database system 512 and the device(s) 510 with reviews, availability, location, and/or purchase information concerning items 502. Devices Generally

Figure 6 illustrates components that may be found in various embodiments of the hand-held device 510. A given component will not necessarily be present in a given embodiment. Whether a given component is present depends on whether it is claimed expressly, and whether one of skill in the art would understand that it needs to be present for the device to operate and hence is claimed inherently.

A scanner 600 includes scanning hardware with corresponding software and/or firmware, to scan a marker 506 and return an identifier that identifies a particular point-of- sale item 502 or a particular group of point-of-sale items 502. The exact nature of the scanner 600 corresponds to the nature of the marker(s) 506 being used on items 502 of interest.

For instance, in a video store, department store, or other indoor location, bar codes, printed text in a particular font, and/or target codes may be attached to point-of- sale items 502. The scanner 600 would accordingly include a bar code scanner, a scanner capable of performing optical character recognition, and/or a target code scanner. The scanner 600 may include a proximity sensor or respond to a "scan" key in the interface, to prevent spurious scanning efforts and activate scanning when it is desired by the user.

Some retail locations 500 include live animals, works of art, or other point-of-sale items 502 that benefit from the greater security of a radio transponder. Accordingly, the scanner 600 provided or used at such locations or with such items may include an electronic ID reading system, such as a Destron-Fearing system, which uses a low power radio signal to energize a normally passive transponder and read an ED number.

A primary purpose of the device 510 is to provide consumers with information. Accordingly, the device 510 includes an output 602. The output 602 often includes a visual display such as a liquid crystal display or a display of the type are commonly used on palm-sized computers. The display may be configured with sufficient color and detail to play video clips, or to present other images in addition to displaying text. The output 602 may include speakers which provide sounds as output in addition to, or as an alternative to, providing visual output through a visual display.

The device 510 may provide users with reviews of items 502, as discussed in connection with the steps 204 and 404, for instance. Accordingly, the device 510 may include a review database manager 604 and a review database 606. The reviews database 606 may contain digitized reviews of the type available in print and/or reviews downloaded from a web site to the site 500 and thence to the device 510 (or downloaded directly to the device 510). The database 606 of reviews may be supplemented by a database of user comments provided either by the present user, by other consumers who have availed themselves of the services of the particular device 510 and/or retail outlet 500 in question, and/or by amateur reviews which may also be published elsewhere.

The review database 606 may be stored partially or entirely on the device 510, or the review database 606 may be provided to the device 510 through a wireless communication link which is managed by the review database manager 604. In one alternative embodiment, the review database 606 is provided on a removable disk, removable memory cartridge, or other removable computer-readable storage medium, and the review database manager 604 includes a disk controller and filesystem software, as well as database management functions. The review database manager 604 may be configured to accept an item 502 identifier from the scanner 600, and then use the output 602 to display one or more corresponding reviews from the database 606.

However, in some embodiments the review database manager 604 coordinates with a search manager 608. The search manager 608 obtains search information from a consumer through a search user interface 610. For instance, the search user interface 610 might accept keywords, categories, date ranges, price ranges, or other constraints that limit the group of point-of-sale items 502 to specify those of current interest to the consumer. The constraints thus obtained are provided by the search user interface 610 to the search manager 608 and hence to the review database manager 604 if the consumer wishes to see reviews for one or more items 502 within the restricted group of items specified by the search.

The search manager 608 may also provide the constraints to an inventory database interface 622, which then accesses an inventory database 624 to identify available items 502 that fall within the group currently of interest to the consumer. The inventory database interface 622 and inventory database 624 may be part of the database system 512. Indeed, the review database 606 and/or the other databases shown in Figure 6 may also be part of the database system 512. The database 624 might be local and specific to a single retail location 500, or it a might be part of a larger integrated database which tracks inventory at dozens or even hundreds of stores nationwide.

In some embodiments, a promotions database manager 614 also provides access to a promotions database 616. For instance, the promotions database 616 might contain video clips or other images, including without limitation previews or advertisements for a point-of-sale item 502. Video clips stored in the promotions database 616 might be best stored on the actual device 510, if the device 510 has adequate capacity, to avoid bandwidth limitations of a wireless communications link.

The promotions database 616 might also contain descriptions of promotions, in the form of database records and corresponding display strings. For instance, a consumer might be told through the device 510 that a particular item 502 is available for free or at a reduced price if the consumer also purchases certain other items 502.

The promotions database manager 614 coordinates with the search manager 608 and/or review database manager 604 to make these promotions known to the consumer during step 404 by displaying them on the display 602 at appropriate times and in appropriate formats.

Some embodiments include a recommendations database manager 618 and a recommendations database 620. Recommendations are distinct from reviews in that recommendations do not necessarily describe an item 502 in response to scanner 600 output or a user-directed search. Instead, the system 500 uses information about past choices to make recommendations to the user through the device 510. This may be done in a relatively simple manner, by pointing the user to a list of choices having some database field in common with prior choices, or it may be done in a more sophisticated manner based on whether similar items have previously been purchased by consumers who apparently have interests in common with the consumer in question. For instance, recommendations may be generated using the tools and techniques described in references such as U.S. Patent 5,798,785, U.S. Patent No. 5,749,081, U.S. Patent 5,583,763, and U.S. Patent 4,996,642. Some devices 510 prompt the user for answers to simple survey questions to gather data about movies or other items 502. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that one or more processors 632, various types of memory 626, and storage 628, are generally useful in implementing the functions of the present invention. Processors 632, memory 626, and/or storage 628 which are necessary to operate the device 510 according to one or more of the functions described herein should be understood to be part of the device 510 even if those functions are not expressly identified in a given claim.

By way of example and not limitation, processors 632 may be required to control the scanner 600 and to coordinate the scanner 600, display 602, interface buttons 612, and/or the various managers. Processors 632 may include standard microprocessors, custom processors such as digital signal processors to assist video display actions, digital signal processors to assist wireless communications with a remote database such as the inventory database 624, and/or digital signal processors to assist voice recognition. Likewise, it will be generally understood that text which is being displayed, search constraints, database records, and other structures which are necessary or useful in operating the device 510 are generally stored at least in volatile memory 626. Nonvolatile storage 628 may also be present when those of skill in the art deem it to be appropriate. For instance, long-term storage 628 will typically be a necessary part of the database system 512 to hold the inventory database 624.

In addition, the review database 606 might be stored in flash memory, ROM, or on a removable storage medium such as a floppy disk or an Iomega Zip disk (mark of Iomega) which is carried about by the consumer and hence currently part of the device 510. When the device 510 stores information such as which movies a given viewer has recently seen and comments on those movies, steps may be taken to protect the user's privacy. For instance, this information may be stored only on the floppy disk, which is removed and retained by the consumer upon leaving the retail outlet 500. Encryption and/or passwords may also be used.

An anti-theft element 630 may be present in some embodiments of the device 510. The anti-theft element 630 can be implemented in at least three ways. One approach uses a general purpose element 630 which is not specific to any particular item, but which must be neutralized by a salesperson at the point of purchase in order to prevent the consumer from triggering a security alarm when the device 510 is carried out of the store. Such generic anti-theft elements have been, and still are, widely used to prevent theft of items 502. Devices 510 carrying such generic anti-theft elements could be limited to in-store use, so that the anti-theft element 630 is never neutralized. Alternatively, such generic anti-theft elements 630 could be neutralized to make devices 510 available for leasing or rental. In this case, the device 510 could itself carry a bar-code and be tracked in the database system 512.

A second type of anti-theft element 630 is specific to a given item 502 or class of items 502. One example is a transponder 506, which could be used with hand-held devices 510 as well as point-of-sale items 502. The device 510 could again be limited to in-store use, or it could be available for purchase.

A third approach makes a wireless data link part of the anti-theft element 630. If the device 510 relies on a limited-range wireless data link, then the device 510 has little use outside the range of the link, and this deters theft. In particular, a system 500 may include devices 510 that rely on a transmitter whose range does not go significantly beyond the retail location.

Some business methods according to the present invention provide favored customers with their own (possibly personalized) hand-held devices 510, which they may remove from the retail location 500 as they wish. Such devices 510 also optionally identify the consumer at participating other retail locations 500. Such devices 510 optionally permit the user to build their a personal database of recommendations and keep track of which items 502 the user enjoyed and why. These methods encourage customers to patronize retail locations 500 which are compatible with their personal hand-held device 510 and/or their personal database. Figure 6 is meant to assist an understanding of the present invention, not to summarize every aspect of the invention or even every device 510. The methods, signals, systems, and configured storage media of the invention are defined by the claims, in view of the entire specification, not merely by Figure 6 and the accompanying text. Thus, a given component may be present in more than one form. For instance, the scanner 600 may be present both as a bar-code scanner and as a target code scanner.

As noted, components may also be omitted. For instance, one embodiment accepts identifiers from the scanner 600 but provides users with no search facilities 608, 610; buttons 612 may also be omitted from such embodiments. Some embodiments do not include a recommendations database 620 or recommendations database manager 618. Some embodiments lack any anti-theft component 630.

Moreover, components of the device 510 may be grouped differently or renamed. For instance, one or more of the databases 606, 616, 620, and 624 may be combined; one or more of the managers 604, 608, 614, and 618 may be combined. The inventory database interface 622 may also be integrated with a manager in some embodiments. Such variations may be present in an embodiment of the device 510 regardless of whether they are expressly described or shown as optional outside the claims.

Scan-Only Devices

Figure 7 illustrates one embodiment 700 of the device 510. For convenience, this embodiment 700 is called a "scan-only" device because it lacks search capability. Some other embodiments of the device 510 are also scan-only embodiments. In particular, a scan-only device 510 may include interface buttons 612 and corresponding functionality other than search functionality. For instance, some scan-only embodiments include buttons 612 to move between reviews which share a database value (actor, category, price range,...) with a review found using only the scanner 600, and some scan-only embodiments include a button 612 to summon a salesperson. The embodiment 700 shown is a particularly simple scan-only design which does not require any buttons 612. Likewise, the scan-only device 700 does not necessarily either contain or omit the promotions components 614, 616, or the recommendations components 618, 620.

The embodiment 700 includes an output in the form of a display 702 and a scanner 600. The display 702 may be a high-quality back-lit display or another type of display used in palm-sized computers. A low battery indicator light 704 is shown to emphasize once again the fact that Figure 6 is merely an aid to understanding the invention, not a comprehensive summary of all embodiments. Alternative scan-only embodiments or other embodiments omit the low battery indicator 704 or use an indicator on the screen 702 to warn that the device needs to be recharged. To make the embodiment 700 more easily used by consumers, a label 706 with use instructions is provided. The contents of the label 706 could also be displayed on the display 702, in addition to or as a substitute for the label 706.

In order to build brand awareness during step 404 and associate steps such as step 200 and step 204 with a particular merchant in the mind of consumers, the embodiment 700 may include one or more merchant trademarks or service marks 708. These marks 708 may be embossed or provided on printed label. The marks 708 may also be provided on the display 702, in addition to or as a substitute for their presence on the case of the device

700.

In operation, a consumer considers an item during step 1 10, scans a marker 506 that is on or very near the item 502, and reviews the resulting information during step 204. Internally, the embodiment 700 receives from the scanner 600 an identifier which identifies the particular item 502 and/or the group of items 502 to which the particular item belongs.

The embodiments 700 uses the identifier to do a lookup in the review database 606, and then displays the corresponding review(s) on the display 702.

For instance, return to the example above of a consumer who would like to select a movie to rent. The consumer carries the device 700 around the store 500 instead of carrying a paper review or no reviews all. When a package catches the consumer's eye, the consumer scans the bar code on the package, and the review pops up on the display 702.

The consumer need not flip through thousands of reviews to find the one that is currently of interest. A consumer making a purchase decision regarding some other type of item 502 has similar advantages. By scanning a tag on a piece of clothing, or a transponder embedded in a painting frame, or a bar code on the sticker of a car window, the user has virtually instant access to consumer reports other professional and/or amateur reviews of the item 502. In some embodiments, the consumer also has virtually instant access to related information such as pricing, lease terms, and so forth. All of this happens at the decision pint, namely, at the time and place the consumer is considering the purchase. Moreover, the information can be provided without making the consumer seek help from the sales staff.

Device Components Figures 8 through 1 1 illustrate components of the device 510 in greater detail.

These components may be present in combinations in scan-only embodiments (including those illustrated in Figures 7 and 13), in scan-or-search embodiments (including those illustrated in Figures 12 and 14), and in search-only embodiments (including those illustrated in Figure 15). Tools and techniques used in connection with conventional palm- sized computers, portable bar-code scanners, cell phones, digital cameras, and other portable electronic devices can be applied in the context of the present invention to implement the configured hand-held device 510 as described and claimed herein. Figure 8 is an end view of a device 510 which uses a bar-code scanner 600, showing the scanner's laser and optics 800. Although the Figures show the scanner 600 located at one end of the device 510, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the scanner 600 may also be positioned elsewhere. For instance, in some embodiments of the device 510 the scanner is on the bottom side and in others it is located along one edge. In embodiments of the device 510 intended for use only with radio transponder markers 506, the position of the scanner 600 within the device 510 is less important, because the consumer does not need to capture optical input from the scanner for the device 510 to obtain an item identifier corresponding to a given marker 506. Figure 9 shows an end 900 of the embodiment of the device 510 which is opposite from the end shown in Figure 8. Embodiments of the device 510 will generally be battery- operated. Some embodiments will use disposable batteries, but others will include a rechargeable battery that requires a recharge port 902. As with the scanner 600, different embodiments may place the recharge port 902 at different locations on the device 510. Figure 10 is a diagram further illustrating components of embodiments of the device 510. The scanner 600 includes supporting circuitry 1002, which varies with the nature of the scanner 600. Appropriate circuitry may include circuits and firmware for barcode scanning, optical character recognition scanning, target code scanning, and/or radio transponder scanning. The output 602 includes a display panel 1004 and display circuitry 1006.

Processors 632 and memory 626 are present and configured with suitable software and data structures to coordinate information flow between the scanner 600 and the output 602, including the display panel 1004. The output 602 may also include a speaker 1008.

A power supply 1010 provides the electric power necessary for the other illustrated components to operate. The power supply may include a rechargeable battery connected to the recharge port 902. The power supply may include features such as an automatic power-down after a predetermined period of time passes with the consumer making no requests of the device 510.

Figure 11 illustrates alternative embodiments of the device 510. In addition to components shown in Figure 10, the embodiments illustrated in Figure 11 may include one or more of the following: a wireless data link 1100, an input 1102, and a credit card module 1104. The wireless data link 1100 may be used in various ways. For instance, it can provide communication between managers and databases. For instance, managers such as the database review database manager 604 and search manager 608 could use the wireless data link 1100 to communicate with the databases 606, 624 when those databases reside partially or entirely outside the device 510.

For instance, communications between the databases and the device 510 through a wireless or other connection can access the inventory database 624 to support informing the user through the device 510 whether a given item 502 is available and informing the user of the item's cost, rental terms if applicable, and location within the retail outlet 500. In embodiments which allow a user to rent or purchase an item directly through the device 510 rather than waiting in line to be helped by a salesperson, the inventory database is updated accordingly. Access to the inventory database 624 is limited to prevent competitors from using the device 510 to obtain copy of relatively large portion (or all) of the inventory database 624. The device 510 is intended primarily for customer use, not as an aid to competitors.

The wireless data link 1100 may also be used to page a salesperson. This may include global positioning system technology which provides the salesperson receiving the page with the position of the paging consumer in the retail location 500.

The wireless data link 1100 may also be used to update the review database 606, to transfer administrative information to a personal computer owned by the consumer, and/or to exchange personal reviews or other information with similar devices 510 and/or with personal computers.

In embodiments of the device 510 which allow consumers to make a purchase by entering their credit card information into the device 510, the wireless data link 1100 can also be used to transmit and receive credit card transactions.

The input 1102 may include buttons 612 or other data input components. In some embodiments, for instance, the input 1102 includes a microphone and a speech recognition module which together accept spoken search constraints and then convey them to the search manager 608. Microphones and speech recognition tools and techniques are well known, and are particularly useful when the set of expected words is relatively small, e.g., "find sedans", "next review", "previous review", and "help". The credit card module 1104 includes a credit card reader and associated circuits and firmware. The credit card module 1 104 reads information from the magnetic strip on a credit card so that consumers can make purchases by using the device 510 without any direct intervention by a salesperson. Credit card reader tools and techniques of the type familiar in the art may be used in the credit card module 1 104.

Scan-or-Search Devices

Figure 12 illustrates another embodiment 1200 of the device 510. For convenience, this embodiment 1200 is called a "scan-or-search" device because it provides both scanning capability of the type discussed above in connection with Figure 7 and searching capability, which is discussed in detail below. Some of the other embodiments of the device 510 are also scan-or-search embodiments. For example, other scan-or-search embodiments of the device 510 omit the credit card module 1 104 and/or lack some or all of the buttons 612 (using voice commands, a touch screen, or another interface instead). Most of the elements of the embodiment 1200 are discussed elsewhere or require no further details for their implementation. However, some comments on the buttons 612 specifically, and the input 1102 generally, are in order. The input 1102 is preferably very straightforward and easy to use. Navigation through the reviews database 606 and other features of the device 510 preferably do not require an alphanumeric keyboard, although some devices 510 may have a keyboard. Instead, interfaces to cellular telephones may be used as a source of instructive examples, as may the concept of hyperlinking which is used on the World Wide Web. Filters may also be used to promote easy navigation through the reviews database. It would not be uncommon for the reviews database 606 to contain ten megabytes or more of information, so ease-of-use is important. With appropriate software as described below or otherwise available to those of skill in the art, the buttons 612 shown provide one convenient user interface for navigating through the review database 606 and/or the portion of the inventory database 624 which is made available to consumers through the device 510. In the discussion of user interfaces below, the four buttons 612 which have arrows are referred to as the top, down, left, and right buttons, respectively. The button with the question mark on it is referred to as a help button. The button with the check mark on it is referred to as an enter button but could also be called a confirmation or selection button. User Interfaces Generally

Figures 13 and 14 illustrate user interfaces for various embodiments of the device 510. Noting the hardware components such as the display screen 702, processors 632, and memory 626 already discussed, user interfaces 1300, 1400, and 1402 may be readily implemented using the teachings presented here with programming languages and/or tools such as 3Com Palm Pilot or Microsoft Windows CE Software Development Kits, Java, Pascal, C++, C, Basic, scripts, assembly, firmware, microcode, logic arrays, PALs, ASICs, PROMS, and/or other languages, circuits, or tools. Other components identified herein, such as the managers shown in Figure 6, may likewise be implemented with commercially available tools and techniques in view of the teachings presented herein.

The scan-only user interface 1300 includes an item title 1302, an item description 1304, reviews and/or recommendations regarding items 1306, optional item promotions 1308, item price and other availability terms 1310, and optional device diagnostics 1312. In most embodiments, these user interface components are displayed on the display 702, but in some cases they may have dedicated outputs 602 elsewhere.

For instance, the low battery indicator light 704 is an example of a diagnostic 1312 which is not shown on the display 702 in the embodiment illustrated by Figure 7. Another example of such a diagnostic 1312 is a "data link lost" indicator for use in embodiments that contain any wireless data link 1100; the indicator would flash on when the wireless connection to the device 510 is interrupted.

The specific content of the components 1302 through 1310 depends on what type of items 502 the device 510 is configured to inform consumers about. For instance, in a device 510 configured for use in a video store 500, the title 1302 could be a movie title, the description 1304 could be a category such as "science-fiction" or "drama", and the reviews 1306 could include reviews written by professional or amateur movie critics. The promotions 1308 might include promotions such as "rent two, get one free" or "rent three movie, get a beverage and popcorn for 50 cents". The price and terms 1310 could include the cost of the rental, and the date on which the rented video is due back in the store 500 if it is rented today. Promotions 1308 might also notify consumers of upcoming releases or product arrivals. In some embodiments, movie trivia, still images, video clips, and other information related to entertainment modules 502 available through the retail outlet 500 may be presented to users of a device 510.

As another example, at an automotive dealership 500 the title 1302 could show the make, model, and year of the vehicle in question, the description 1304 could include a list of available options, and the reviews 1306 could include independent reports on safety, reliability, durability, and resale value. The category names shown in Figure 13 are somewhat subjective and are used as illustrations only. For instance, at the automotive dealership 500 promotions 1308 could include financing information that might otherwise be considered part of the price and terms 1310. Likewise, the year might be considered part of the description 1304 in some implementations rather than part of the title 1302.

As a practical matter, the scanner 600 may be considered part of the user interfaces 1300 and 1400, because the information 1302 through 1310 comes up on the display 702 in response to the user scanning a marker 506 on an item 502.

The buttons 612 can be used with any or all of the interfaces 1300, 1400, 1402. In a search user interface 610, the buttons 612 can be used to help specify search constraints as described below. In scan interfaces, one or more buttons 612 can be used to navigate through a review database 606 or an inventory database 624. In particular, navigational buttons such as the left, right, up, and/or down buttons could be part of a scan-only user interface 1300, to allow the user to scroll within a large amount of information that does not fit entirely on the display 702 at one time, or to allow the user to go from a movie review by one reviewer to another review of the same movie by different reviewer, for instance.

Figure 14 illustrates a scan-or-search user interface 1400. In addition to user interface components illustrated in Figure 13, the user interface 1400 includes the search interface 610 that allows the consumer to enter constraints and then search the inventory database 624, review database 606, and/or another database for records matching the constraints.

In most situations where an item 502 is identified to the device 510 by having the consumer scan a marker 506, it can be assumed that the item 502 in question is available for purchase because the marker 506 for the item 502 is present on the sales floor.

Likewise, it can generally be assumed that the consumer knows the location of the item 502 in question, because the scanned marker 506 is on or near the item 502. Exceptions include large items 502 which may be stored apart from their markers 506 because the display space is limited or the items 502 which are too vulnerable if left in an open display on the sales floor. But even in these cases, the consumer has done as much as he or she can to locate the specific item 502 desired. However, in other situations a particular item 502 is not identified to the device

502 by scanning, because the consumer has not yet fully identified and/or located the desired item 502. In such a situation, the device 510 may be used to identify and/or locate items 502 after the consumer has chosen categories during step 100 and/or chosen features during step 102. In short, the consumer wants to identify an item 502 of interest and/or find out whether the item 502 is available. If the item 502 is available, the consumer wants to be directed to it.

Accordingly, additional user interface fields are provided. The aforementioned search interface 610 helps the consumer identify an item 502 of interest by accepting constraints such as a keyword or regular expression constraining the title 1404 and/or keywords, regular expressions, years, and other description constraints 1406. Database query interfaces in general are well known, as are interfaces such as Internet search engines interfaces, which use keywords and regular expressions. One or more titles 1302 and corresponding descriptions 1304 may be identified by the database search and displayed as search results. Reviews and/or recommendations 1306 corresponding to the identified titles 1302 and descriptions 1304 may also be identified by the database search and displayed as search results.

In addition, an availability field 1408 contains item availability information, such as whether the item(s) 502 identified by the search is in stock. In the case of rentals, if the entertainment module or other rented item 502 is not in stock, the availability 1408 field may indicate when the rented item 502 is due back in the store 500. Availability information may include an option to reserve a rental copy, and may also inform the user whether copies of the desired module 502 are available for outright purchase as well as rental. To direct the consumer to the item 502 if it is available, a location field 1410 contains maps, instructions, or other directions that can lead to the consumer to the position of the desired item or items 502 within the retail location 500. If the retail location 500 is a franchise, and the desired item 502 is not available at one store, then the location 1410 field could also identify one or more other stores within the franchise system which do have the desired item 502 currently in stock.

As with other configured storage device 510 components (and with method steps, configured storage medium components, retail system 500 components, and signal components shown in Figures 15 and 16), in a particular embodiment of an interface 1300, 1400 or 1402, various elements may be omitted, repeated, regrouped, and/or re-ordered, thereby departing from the illustration but not necessarily departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

Search User Interface Examples

In a particular embodiment of a search interface 1400 or 1402, search constraints such as title constraints 1404, description constraints 1406, and/or constraints on other database record fields may be specified in various ways. One approach models the search interface 610 after conventional search engine interfaces such as Internet search engine interfaces. Such search engine interfaces have one or more fixed fields which accept keywords; in some cases the fields also accept Boolean and/or regular expressions.

For instance, one might enter the string "scanner and review" in the search field and press the enter key. The search engine would then search its database for records (relational database records, Web pages, indexed word processor files,...) which contain both the word "scanner" and the word "review". Boolean expressions built with operators like "and", "or", "near", and "not" may be entered explicitly, as in the preceding example, or they may be implicit, as when "scanner review patent" is interpreted as "scanner and review and patent" by a search engine which uses "and" as the default operation. Regular expressions may also be combined with Boolean expressions and keywords, as when an asterisk is used to indicate a wild-card. For instance "scan*" would match "scanner", "scanning," and other words that began with "scan".

The term "fixed field" is not necessarily known in the art, but is used here to distinguish conventional search engine interfaces from a novel search interface that may also be used in embodiments of the configured device 510. The search field in an Internet search engine interface is a fixed field because the search field and the search terms entered in the field appear in the same position in the interface both before and after the search terms are entered. In other words, the search field is a fill-in-the-blank field. Some conventional search engine interfaces provide more than one fixed search field. For instance, a search engine interface to a database of patents may provide fixed search fields for the patent number, inventor name, assignee name, Abstract, and so on. Some search engine interfaces accept additional constraints such as date ranges, or an indication of which databases or database categories should be searched. Databases and database categories are typically specified by check boxes or buttons next to a predefined list of database or database category names.

Some Internet search engines use natural language parsing technology, allowing a user to enter a sentence in English or another natural language instead of requiring the user to employ Boolean expressions and/or regular expressions. However, the search field that accepts the natural language sentence is still a fixed field.

A distinction may be made between command words and search words. Command words are directions to the search interface which do not necessarily correspond to database content. Command words can be implemented as buttons or with voice recognition when there are few enough of them. Examples of command words include "help", "search", "enter", "next", other navigation terms, and operation terms such as "and" and "or". By contrast, search words come from a much broader range of possibilities and correspond to content that could appear in the database being searched. Natural language parsing accepts sentences which contain command words and/or search words. Search words are typically entered by typing them on a keyboard, but could also be entered by writing them in an alphabet specifically designed for palm-sized or portable computers. Some attempts may also have been made to accept search words through voice recognition.

A novel search interface 610 according to the present invention can employ many of these concepts (keywords, Boolean expressions, regular expressions, operators, and/or natural language parsing) and input modes (typing, special hand-written alphabet, buttons, speech recognition). Unlike conventional interfaces, however, this novel search interface 610 is not limited to fixed fields. Instead, the search interface 610 uses a concept called "constraint instantiation". Constraint instantiation occurs when a user enters a search constraint in a search field and the interface makes a visible copy of the constraint outside the search field and blanks the search field again. This presents the user with both the entered constraint for the field and the opportunity to enter another constraint on the same field (or another field).

Implicit or explicit operators can be used to combine the constraints for a given field when more than one constraint for the field has been instantiated.

As an example, assume an embodiment of the search interface 610 in a particular device 510 uses constraint instantiation to obtain constraints on a search for movies in an inventory database 624 at a video rental store 500. For simplicity, assume that only three fields can be searched - category, title, and actor - although more or fewer search fields could be used in other embodiments. Before entry of the first constraint, the display 702 contains something like this: MOVIE CATEGORY

MOVIE TITLE ACTOR IN MOVIE

No limits have been entered No movies identified yet

Using navigation buttons, a touch screen, voice commands, or another input mode, the user highlights MOVIE CATEGORY, scrolls through available categories, and selects

"Western". The highlighting could be done by using the up and/or down keys to move a highlight until it is over MOVIE CATEGORY and then the scrolling within MOVIE CATEGORY could be done by using the left and/or down keys, replacing MOVIE

CATEGORY with successive category titles displayed at the same screen 702 position.

After instantiation of the "Western" constraint, the screen 702 looks something like this:

MOVIE CATEGORY MOVIE TITLE ACTOR IN MOVIE

Movie must be a Western 1423 movies identified

After similar actions instantiate another constraint, the display 702 looks like this: MOVIE CATEGORY

MOVIE TITLE ACTOR IN MOVIE

Movie must be a Western with John Wayne 63 movies have been identified

After two more constraints are instantiated, the display 702 looks like this:

MOVIE CATEGORY MOVIE TITLE ACTOR IN MOVIE

Movie must be a Western with John Wayne, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper

1 movie identified

True Grit, in Westerns on shelf 302, can be rented for 3 days for $2

More generally, with constraint instantiation the display 702 has at least three regions. A fields region holds one or more search fields which can be instantiated; in the example above, the MOVE CATEGORY, MOVIE TITLE, and ACTOR IN MOVE search fields are in a fields region. A constraints region holds zero or more instantiated constraints; in the most recent example snapshot, the constraints region holds "Movie must be a Western with John Wayne, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper". Finally, a results region holds search results, such as "True Grit, in Westerns on shelf 302, can be rented for 3 days for $2". Note that the example search result includes a title result 1302, a description result 1304, as well as associated information about availability 1408, location 1410, and the price and terms 1310.

Note also that shelves and other item 502 display or storage locations can be identified by labels, which may include bar codes or other markers, so that employees can more easily and accurately update the inventory database 624 when restocking items. That is, the employee can scan the item 502, scan the shelf marker, and accordingly use the device 510 to inform the database 624 that the item has been placed on the shelf.

Although a search of a movie inventory database was used in the example above, other movie-related databases such as review databases 606, and databases pertaining to other items 502 can be similarly searched with a novel search interface 610. Moreover, databases pertaining to a wide variety of items 502 can be searched using a search interface 610 which uses fixed fields in a manner analogous to Internet search engine interfaces.

Scan Result Signals

Figures 15 and 16 illustrate scan result signals 1500 and 1600. Each of the scan result signals 1500 and 1600 includes an item identifier 1502, which may be provided directly by the scanner 600 after it scans a marker 506, or may be derived directly from the marker 506 scan result. The item identifier 1502 identifies a particular point-of-sale item 502 or group of items 502. The item identifier 1502 may be implemented as a pointer to a particular address in memory 626, as an index into a table stored in memory 626 or on permanent storage 628, as a GUID or similar object identifier, as a handle, or by other identification means familiar to those of skill in the programming arts.

The scan result signal 1500 also includes one or more location and/or availability indicators 1504. An indicator may be implemented as a text string that is ready to be displayed on the screen 702, or it may be implemented as a pointer, index, or handle which has such a string associated with it. The content of the string provides the consumer with availability and/or location information of the type discussed throughout this document; particular examples were discussed in connection with the availability field 1408 and the location field 1410.

In short, the scan results signal 1500 associates the result of scanner 600 output with location and/or availability information about the item 502 or items 502 that correspond to the marker 506 that was scanned by the scanner 600. The scan results signal 1500 is embodied in the in the memory 626 and/or the storage 628 of a battery-powered 1010 hand-held device 510. The scan results signal 1500 may also be embodied in a wireless communication link to the battery-powered 1010 hand-held device 510 when the device 510 includes a wireless data link 1100. The scan results signal 1500 may not be embodied in a non-portable computer system, such as a personal computer or workstation intended for use by store 500 employees rather than used by consumers. However, such conventional systems may include similar signals which are not embodied in hand-held battery-powered devices 510 and thus lie outside the scope of the present invention.

The scan results signal 1600 also includes an item identifier 1502, and includes one or more reviews 1602 from a review database 606. Suitable reviews 1602 include reviews of the type discussed in connection with step 204, provided that the item identifier 1502 and the reviews 1602 are all embodied in a system of the type illustrated in Figure 5. That is, the item identifier 1502 must be embodied in a configured hand-held device 510, and at least one of the reviews 1602 must be embodied in the output 602 of the same device 510. A memory 626 or storage 628 which is configured by the scan result signals 1500 or 1600 may also contain other fields that are closely associated with the illustrated fields 1502, 1504, 1602. These additional fields may be of the type shown in Figures 13 and 14, or they may be of a type familiar to those of skill in the art, such as checksums, padding for alignment, linked list pointers, and the like. In addition, the fields 1502, 1504, 1602 may be implemented by placing them in memory 626 or storage 628 in a different order than the order shown, or by creating an association between an item identifier 1502 and another field 1504 or 1602 with a pointer or an index instead of placing the item identifier 1502 in a memory or storage location next to the location of the field 1504 or 1602.

Search Result Signals

Figures 17 and 18 illustrate search result signals 1700 and 1800. Each of the search result signals 1700 and 1800 includes an item identifier 1702, which identifies a particular point-of-sale item 502 or group of items 502. The item identifier 1702 may be implemented as a pointer to a particular address in memory 626, as an index into a table stored in memory 626 or on permanent storage 628, as a database record number or offset or similar database entry identifier, or by other identification means familiar to those of skill in the programming arts. The database searched may be an inventory database 624, a reviews database 606, or another database of the type shown in Figure 6. The search result signal 1700 also includes one or more location and/or availability indicators 1704. An indicator may be implemented as a text string that is ready to be displayed on the screen 702, or it may be implemented as a pointer, index, or database record number or offset which has such a string associated with it. The content of the string provides the consumer with availability and/or location information of the type discussed throughout this document; particular examples were discussed in connection with the availability field 1408 and the location field 1410.

In short, the search results signal 1700 associates the result of a database search with location and/or availability information about the item 502 or items 502 that match constraints specified by the user to guide the search. The search results signal 1700 is embodied in the in the memory 626 and/or the storage 628 of a battery-powered 1010 hand-held device 510. The search results signal 1700 may also be embodied in a wireless communication link to the battery-powered 1010 hand-held device 510 when the device 510 includes a wireless data link 1100. The search results signal 1700 may not be embodied in a non-portable computer system, such as a personal computer or workstation intended for use by store 500 employees rather than used by consumers. However, such conventional systems may include similar signals which are not embodied in hand-held battery-powered devices 510 and thus lie outside the scope of the present invention. The search results signal 1800 also includes an item identifier 1702, and includes one or more review and/or recommendation indicators 1802. An indicator 1802 may be implemented as a text string that is ready to be displayed on the screen 702, or it may be implemented as a pointer, index, or handle which has such a string associated with it. The content of the string provides the consumer with reviews and/or recommendations of the type discussed above; particular examples were discussed in connection with components 1602, 1306, 620, 606, and with steps 204 and 404. The item identifier 1702 and the review and/or recommendation indicators 1802 are all embodied in a system of the type illustrated in Figure 5. That is, the item identifier 1702 must be embodied in a configured hand-held device 510, and at least one of the review and/or recommendation indicators 1802 must be embodied in the output 602 of the same device 510.

A memory 626 or storage 628 which is configured by the search result signals 1700 or 1800 may also contain other fields that are closely associated with the illustrated fields 1702, 1704, 1802, as discussed above in connection with the scan result signals 1500 and 1600. Likewise, the fields 1702, 1704, 1802 may be implemented by placing them in memory 626 or storage 628 in a different order than the order shown, or by creating associations through pointers or an indexes instead of placing the item identifier 1702 in a memory or storage location next to the location of the field 1704 or 1802.

Summary

The present invention provides novel tools and techniques for assisting consumers by making information about the quality, availability, location, and desirability of goods readily available at the time and place where the consumer is making a purchase decision. One embodiment of the invention is a hand-held device 510 having a display, a bar-code scanner, a simple user interface, a port or slot for receiving a floppy disk, and a built-in database of movie reviews. In one alternative embodiment, a radio transponder scanner is used. In another alternative embodiment, the bar-code scanner is replaced and/or supplemented by a text scanner for using optical character recognition to identify movies by scanning their titles. The novel devices 510, systems 500, and signals 1500 through 1800 may be used commercially in various ways. For instance, the device 510 and its services may be provided to consumers by a retail outlet as a courtesy which distinguishes that outlet from competing outlets. In this case, the device 510 is available to consumers only within the retail location; it is returned to store personnel upon leaving the store. An alternative embodiment of the invention contemplates user ownership of the device 510, so that users can carry the device to a variety of different retail outlets. The inventory database 624, reviews database 606, and the scanning or searching functionality of the device 510 may be coordinated to provide consumers with controlled access to the proprietary and current information of the particular retail outlet system 500 in various ways. For instance, a user who likes what is said in a particular review displayed on the device may query the device to learn whether the movie or game reviewed is currently available in this store, and if so, where it is located in the store.

As another example, a user who is intrigued by a package or display for a given entertainment module can query the device 510 to learn more about that module, through access to one or more reviews of the module and/or availability/location information such as that just described. In one approach, the user identifies the module of interest to the device using the scanner 600. The device 510 uses the information obtained from the scanner to identify the entertainment module 502, obtaining confirmation from the user if there is some doubt about which module is desired. The device 510 then provides the user with reviews, availability, and/or location information regarding the entertainment module 502 in question. Articles of manufacture within the scope of the present invention include a computer-readable program storage medium in combination with the specific physical configuration of a substrate of the program storage medium. The substrate configuration represents data and instructions which cause the computers to operate in a specific and predefined manner as described herein. Suitable storage devices include floppy disks, hard disks, tape, CD-ROMs, RAM, and other media readable by one or more of the computers. Each such medium tangibly embodies a program, functions, and/or instructions that are executable by the machines to perform scanning and/or searching steps in a device 510 and/or system 500 substantially as described herein. Signals 1500 through 1800 may also be embodied in such articles of manufacture, subject to the description of those signals provided above.

Although particular methods and signal formats embodying the present invention are expressly illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that system, device, and configured program storage medium embodiments may be formed according to the signals and methods of the present invention. Unless otherwise expressly indicted, the descriptions herein of methods and signals of the present invention therefore extend to corresponding systems, devices, and configured storage media, and the descriptions of systems, devices, and program storage media of the present invention extend likewise to corresponding methods and signals.

As used herein, terms such as "a" and "the" and designations such as "device", "review", and "step" are inclusive of one or more of the indicated element. In particular, in the claims a reference to an element means at least one such element is required. When exactly one element is intended, this document will state that requirement expressly.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. Headings are for convenience only. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by patent is:

Claims

1. A hand-held device for assisting in the selection or purchase of a point-of-sale item by providing a consumer with consumer assistance information about the item, the device comprising a reviews database manager for a reviews database and a scanner powered in operable connection with a display, whereby a review about the item is located by the reviews database manager and displayed by the device on the display in response to a signal produced by the consumer scanning with the scanner a marker that is associated with the item.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a bar code scanner.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a target code scanner.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a text scanner which performs optical character recognition.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the scanner includes a radio transponder scanner.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is powered by a rechargeable battery within the device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the review about the item is located by the reviews database manager in a reviews database within the device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the review about the item is located by the reviews database manager in a reviews database outside the device which is accessed using a wireless data link component within the device.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a credit card module for collecting electronic money revenues.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the credit card module communicates with a service provider outside the device by transmitting a transaction using a wireless data link component within the device.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the credit card module collects revenue from a stored money card.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a search user interface powered in operable connection with the display, whereby a second review about the item is located with the search user interface and displayed by the device on the display in response to search constraints provided by the consumer to the search user interface.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the item is an entertainment module.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a promotions database manager and a promotions database powered in operable connection with the display, whereby a promotion about the item is located by the promotions database manager and displayed by the device on the display.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a recommendations database manager and a recommendations database powered in operable connection with the display, whereby a recommendation about a second item is located by the recommendations database manager and displayed by the device on the display.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising an anti-theft component.

17. A hand-held device for assisting in the selection or purchase of a point-of- sale item by providing a consumer with consumer assistance information about the item, the device comprising a database and a search user interface powered in operable connection with a display, whereby consumer assistance information about the item is located with the search user interface and displayed by the device on the display in response to search constraints provided by the consumer to the search user interface.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the consumer assistance information includes availability information about the item.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the availability information about the item is located in a database outside the device which is accessed using a wireless data link component within the device.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the consumer assistance information includes availability information about the item.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the consumer assistance information includes a review about the item.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the review about the item is located in a reviews database within the device

23. The device of claim 17, further comprising a credit card module for collecting electronic money revenues.

24. The device of claim 17, further comprising a wireless data link component for paging a salesperson.

25. The device of claim 17, wherein the item is an entertainment module.

26. The device of claim 17, further comprising a promotions database manager and a promotions database powered in operable connection with the display, whereby a promotion about the item is located by the promotions database manager and displayed by the device on the display.

27. The device of claim 17, further comprising a recommendations database manager and a recommendations database powered in operable connection with the display, whereby a recommendation about a second item is located by the recommendations database manager and displayed by the device on the display.

28. The device of claim 17, further comprising an anti-theft component.

29. The device of claim 17, wherein the device comprises a palm-sized computer configured with software to implement the search user interface in the computer.

30. The device of claim 17, wherein the search user interface employs constraint instantiation.

31. A retail system comprising: a plurality of point-of-sale items; and at least one hand-held device configured to provide consumer assistance information about the point-of-sale items to a consumer.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising a database system having a wireless connection with the configured hand-held device.

33. The system of claim 31 , wherein the configured hand-held device includes a scanner powered in operable connection with a display to provide the consumer with consumer assistance information about a particular item in response to the consumer using the scanner to scan a marker associated with the item.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the marker includes a bar code.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the consumer assistance information includes a review.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the item is an entertainment module.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the device lacks an alphabetic keyboard.

38. The system of claim 31, further comprising a building containing the point- of-sale items.

39. The system of claim 31, further comprising a piece of real property on which the point-of-sale items are displayed to the consumer.

40. The system of claim 31, further comprising a promotions database containing information displayed on the configured hand-held device.

41. The system of claim 31 , further comprising a recommendations database containing information displayed on the configured hand-held device.

42. The system of claim 31, wherein the configured hand-held device includes a credit card module.

43. The system of claim 31, wherein the system comprises a means for a determining whether an item is available for purchase, and at least a portion of the means resides in the configured hand-held device.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the means determines whether an entertainment module is available.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the means determines whether a vehicle is available.

46. The system of claim 31 , wherein the system comprises a means for determining the physical location of an item, and at least a portion of the means resides in the configured hand-held device.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the means determines the physical location of an entertainment module.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the means determines the physical location of a vehicle.

49. The system of claim 31, wherein the system comprises a means for obtaining and displaying a review of an item, and at least a portion of the means resides in the configured hand-held device.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the means displays a review of an entertainment module.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the means displays a review of a vehicle.

52. A method of facilitating purchase of a point-of-sale item, comprising the steps of providing to a consumer a hand-held device which is configured to provide the consumer with consumer assistance information, and allowing the consumer to use the device to obtain consumer assistance information about the point-of-sale item.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of providing a device provides the consumer with a device having a scan-only interface.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of providing a device provides the consumer with a device having a scan-or-search interface.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein the step of providing a device provides the consumer with a device having a search-only interface.

56. The method of claim 52, wherein the method facilitates entertainment module purchases.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the method facilitates video cassette rentals.

58. The method of claim 52, wherein the allowing step provides the consumer with limited access to an inventory database.

59. The method of claim 52, wherein the allowing step provides the consumer with access to a database of entertainment module reviews.

60. The method of claim 52, wherein the allowing step includes an anti-theft measure to allow the consumer to use the device only within a retail outlet.

61. The method of claim 52, wherein the allowing step provides the consumer with a directions for locating items.

62. The method of claim 52, wherein the allowing step includes providing salesperson assistance to the consumer.

63. A method used by a consumer for obtaining consumer assistance information about a point-of-sale item, comprising the steps of obtaining a hand-held device which is configured to provide the consumer with consumer assistance information, and using the device to obtain consumer assistance information about one or more point- of-sale items.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the using step comprises scanning a marker to identify a point-of-sale item to the device.

65. The method of claim 63, wherein the using step comprises entering search constraints to identify a point-of-sale item to the device.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein the using step comprises obtaining information from a review provided through the device.

67. The method of claim 63, wherein the using step comprises obtaining item availability information through the device.

68. The method of claim 63, wherein the using step comprises obtaining item location information through the device.

69. An embodied scan result signal comprising an item identifier for a point-of- sale item and consumer assistance information pertaining to an item which is identified by the point-of-sale item identifier.

70. The scan result signal of claim 69, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes location information provided through an item location indicator.

71. The scan result signal of claim 69, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes availability information provided through an item availability indicator.

72. The scan result signal of claim 69, wherein the signal is embodied in a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes an item review.

73. A search result signal embodied in a system comprising a hand-held device for providing consumer assistance information, the thus-embodied signal comprising an item identifier and consumer assistance information pertaining to a point-of-sale item which is identified by the item identifier.

74. The search result signal of claim 73, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes location information provided through an item location indicator.

75. The search result signal of claim 73, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes availability information provided through an item availability indicator.

76. The search result signal of claim 73, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes review information provided through an item review indicator.

77. The search result signal of claim 73, wherein the signal is embodied in a system containing a hand-held device and the consumer assistance information includes recommendation information provided through an item recommendation indicator.