Method for accessing data using a self-service point-of-sale terminal

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of storing data relationally includes the step of storing such data in first and second normal forms.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of querying the relationally stored data includes the step of selective blocking objects and values from inclusion within a tuple or tuples defining a screen of data so as to effectuate an elision thereof from the displayed data, whereby a virtual menu is dynamically generated from the relationally stored data.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of querying and acquiring the relationally stored data includes the steps of storing the acquired data locally at the terminal and upon the condition subsequent of a selection from a displayed menu matching a previous menu selection, referencing the data from that locally stored.

Claim 7

In a system comprising a CPU (31) hosting a database and attendant database management and accessing facilities; and at least- one point-of-sale (POS) terminal (33,43) having a first (21) and a second (25) display means, a source (23) of video pictures, input means (27), message interface means (33) coupling the CPU, a local store, and a microprocessor (29) interconnecting the display means, the video source, the input means, and the interface means; a method for dynamically selecting screens of picture data from the video source on the first display means and dynamically generating screens of textual data from the database on the second display means, comprising the steps of: (a) storing object names, attributes, and values relationally as tuples and relations in the CPU database; (b) exhibiting a first menu of textual data upon the second display means; (c) selecting of a data element from the displayed first menu by an operator at the POS terminal and entering the selection into the terminal through the input means; (d) responsive to the operator selection, ascertaining whether the menu selection matches a previous selection and in the event of a match querying the local store, otherwise querying the relationally stored data in the CPU database and acquiring therefrom a set of tuples designated by the selection; (e) generating a text screen including any menu and any picture information from the acquired tuple set; (f) displaying the generated text screen upon the second display means, and responsive to the generated picture information, causing selected pictures to be obtained from the video source and projected upon the first display means; and (g) rendering the system available for yet another selection of a data element from a menu projected on the second'display means or from the picture projected on the first display.

Claim 8

In a system comprising a CPU (31) hosting a database and attendant database management and accessing facilities; and at least- one point-of-sale (POS) terminal (33,43) having a first (21) and a second (25) display means, a source (23) of video pictures, input means (27), message interface means (33) coupling the CPU, a local store, and a microprocessor (29) interconnecting the display means, the video source, the input means, and the interface means; a method for dynamically selecting screens of picture data from the video source on the first display means and dynamically generating screens of textual data from the database on the second display means, comprising the steps of: (a) storing object names, attributes, and values relationally as tuples and relations in the CPU database; (b) exhibiting a first menu of textual data upon the second display means; (c) selecting of a data element from the displayed first menu by an operator at the POS terminal and entering the selection into the terminal through the input means; (d) responsive to the operator selection, ascertaining whether the menu selection matches a previous selection and in the event of a match querying the local store, otherwise querying the relationally stored data in the CPU database and acquiring therefrom a set of tuples designated by the selection; (e) generating a text screen including any menu and any picture information from the acquired tuple set; (f) displaying the generated text screen upon the second display means, and responsive to the generated picture information, causing selected pictures to be obtained from the video source and projected upon the first display means; and (g) rendering the system available for yet another selection of a data element from a menu projected on the second'display means or from the picture projected on the first display.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of matching the menu selection includes the steps: upon a match, sending activity data to the CPU, creating a text screen from the local store and projecting said text screen upon the second display means, and causing selected pictures determined from the data in the local store to be projected upon the first display means by the video source.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 6, wherein the method further includes the steps conditioned by a mismatch between a current and previous menu selection, sending a service request from the POS terminal to the CPU and invoking the database management to acquire a tuple set designated by the selection; and responsively accessing the database and generating a screen format comprising the textual screen information and layout and associated picture identification or accessing data.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of rendering the system available for yet another selection of a data element includes the selection of an attribute such as color and the like from the picture projected on the first display.