EP0377515A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Market research systems and equipment
Assignee: TNS Group Holdings Ltd
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Filing: 1990-01-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-01-05
Abstract
Abstract Equipment for ascertaining public buying habits comprises a portable terminal (1) coupled to a modem (2) whereby a remote station can supply data to and read data from the terminal. A bar code reader (8) is coupled to the terminal (1). A code book (3) contains groups of bar codes (9) pertaining to respective products or product types. The code reader (8) is used to read a first code of a group to define the product type purchased. This causes the terminal to select a series of prompts pertaining to that product type from downloadable table. The prompts are presented in sequence at the terminal and are answered by using the code reader to read bar codes from respective sets of the selected group, the sets defining attributes of the product or product type. The bar codes in each set define values lying within specific ranges verified by the terminal before proceeding to the next prompt.
Inventors
- 👤 Timothy John Foley
- 👤 Adrian Neville Zachariah
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 12:28
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
209 words
A data gathering system having a code device (3) comprising a plurality of zones (9), each containing a machine readable code, and a terminal comprising means (7) for displaying a sequence of messages, data input means (6,8) comprising code reading means (8) for reading said machine readable codes, and storage means (5) for storing the data input at the input means, characterised in that said zones (9) are arranged in sets (42, 43, 44) to define in each said set alternative responses to messages, and said sets are arranged into groups each of which provides alternative responses to a sequence of messages pertaining to that group, and the terminal comprising: means (5) for storing a plurality of sequences of message identifiers defining messages to be displayed; decision-making means coupled to the code reading means for causing the selection of one of said sequences in dependence upon a code read by said code reading means; and means for controlling interaction between said input means, said decision-making means and said displaying means for displaying at the displaying means a first message defined by the selected sequence and for displaying, in response to a sequence of data input at the input means, respective messages defined by subsequent identifiers of the selected sequence.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
209 words
A data gathering system having a code device (3) comprising a plurality of zones (9), each containing a machine readable code, and a terminal comprising means (7) for displaying a sequence of messages, data input means (6,8) comprising code reading means (8) for reading said machine readable codes, and storage means (5) for storing the data input at the input means, characterised in that said zones (9) are arranged in sets (42, 43, 44) to define in each said set alternative responses to messages, and said sets are arranged into groups each of which provides alternative responses to a sequence of messages pertaining to that group, and the terminal comprising: means (5) for storing a plurality of sequences of message identifiers defining messages to be displayed; decision-making means coupled to the code reading means for causing the selection of one of said sequences in dependence upon a code read by said code reading means; and means for controlling interaction between said input means, said decision-making means and said displaying means for displaying at the displaying means a first message defined by the selected sequence and for displaying, in response to a sequence of data input at the input means, respective messages defined by subsequent identifiers of the selected sequence.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in said code device, each group has a first set (41, 42) having a code which is an identifying code uniquely defining said group, and the decision-making means has means responsive to the identifying codes to select for display at the displaying means the sequence of messages corresponding to the read identifying code.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the code device comprises labels associated with respective sets to define correspondence between said messages and said sets.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the sets of codes of said code device are physically arranged in sequences corresponding to said sequences of data items.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
27 words
A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in said code device, all the codes in the sets are unique within each set.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein all said codes of all the sets of a plurality of groups are unique.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the codes of the sets represent unique non-overlapping ranges of values.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
A system as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein each of said plurality of sequences comprises in each of at least some of said message identifiers a data portion defining valid code values pertaining to the message defined by the identifers, and the terminal comprises data verifying means for comparing a code read in response to a message with the valid code values and means for permitting storage of the code read only when said data verifying means detects a valid code value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the terminal has means for causing a wait for re-entry of data when the data verifying means compares a code read which is not a valid code value.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
40 words
A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said storing means comprises read/write memory having data input means by which a replacement plurality of sequences may be written into the storing means from an external device.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system as claimed in claim 10, comprising communication input/output means for updating said read/write memory from a remote central station and for reading out to the central station data from the storage means.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
66 words
A system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are means storing a set of ordered pairs of data items a first of which is one of said identifiers and a second of which is message text, and the terminal comprises means for reading said set of ordered pairs to obtain the message text for display from the identifer currently being processed.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
199 words
A data gathering terminal of kind to communicate with a remote central station and comprising: means (7) for displaying messages; data input means (6, 8) comprising a code reading means (8) for reading data conveyed by machine readable codes; and storage means (5) for storing data supplied to said terminal by said data input means; characterised by read/write storing means (5) for storing a plurality of data sets each comprising a unique set identifier and a sequence of message identifiers; selection means responsive to a first code read by the reading means to select one of said data sets in dependence upon correspondence between the set identifer and the data of said first code; means for causing the display at the displaying means (7) of a sequence of messages corresponding to respective message identifers of the selected data set; means for causing a wait for the input of data at said data input means in between the display of successive ones of the messages of the sequence of messages; and communications input/output means (2) for downloading data into the sequence storing means from a central station and for reading out data from said storage means to a central station.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
199 words
A data gathering terminal of kind to communicate with a remote central station and comprising: means (7) for displaying messages; data input means (6, 8) comprising a code reading means (8) for reading data conveyed by machine readable codes; and storage means (5) for storing data supplied to said terminal by said data input means; characterised by read/write storing means (5) for storing a plurality of data sets each comprising a unique set identifier and a sequence of message identifiers; selection means responsive to a first code read by the reading means to select one of said data sets in dependence upon correspondence between the set identifer and the data of said first code; means for causing the display at the displaying means (7) of a sequence of messages corresponding to respective message identifers of the selected data set; means for causing a wait for the input of data at said data input means in between the display of successive ones of the messages of the sequence of messages; and communications input/output means (2) for downloading data into the sequence storing means from a central station and for reading out data from said storage means to a central station.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
A terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein the data input means further comprises numeric data input means by which a user is able to input numeric data into said storage means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A terminal as claimed in claim 14, and comprising means responsive to any one of a subset of unique ones of said message identifers to require input of numeric data at said data input means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
A terminal as claimed in claim 15 and comprising means for enabling input of numeric data only from said numeric data input means in response to any identifier of said subset of unique identifiers.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
90 words
A terminal as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein each of said plurality of data sets comprises in association with each of at least some of said message identifiers a data portion defining valid code values pertaining to the message defined by the identifier, and the terminal comprises: data verifying means for comparing a code read in response to a message with the valid code values; and means for permitting storage of the code read only when said data verifying means detects a valid code value.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
A terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the data verifying means is operable to identifying as a valid code value a value in a range of values.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
69 words
A terminal as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein there are mean (5) storing a set of ordered pairs of data items a first of which is one of said identifiers and a second of which is message text, and the terminal comprises means for reading said set of ordered pairs to obtain the message text for display from the message identifer currently being processed.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
44 words
A terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein the communications input/output means (2) are coupled to the storing means (5) for the set of ordered pairs to download from a remote central station data items for said set of ordered pairs of data items.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
100 words
A code device comprising: a plurality of zones (9) each containing a machine readable code conveying data; characterised by a first user readable label for each code; said zones being physically arranged in sets to define in each set alternative responses to a message; a second user readable label associated with each set; and said sets being physically arranged in a plurality of groups, each group providing a physical sequence of sets of machine readable responses to a sequence of messages corresponding to said second labels, all said codes of all the sets of a plurality of groups being unique.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
100 words
A code device comprising: a plurality of zones (9) each containing a machine readable code conveying data; characterised by a first user readable label for each code; said zones being physically arranged in sets to define in each set alternative responses to a message; a second user readable label associated with each set; and said sets being physically arranged in a plurality of groups, each group providing a physical sequence of sets of machine readable responses to a sequence of messages corresponding to said second labels, all said codes of all the sets of a plurality of groups being unique.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
18 words
A code device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the codes of the sets represent unique non-overlapping ranges.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
17 words
A code device as claimed in claim 22 or 23. wherein the code is a bar code.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
183 words
A method of communicating data regarding user buying habits from a user terminal to a central station comprising: (a) downloading into a user terminal sequences of prompt identifiers, with each sequence corresponding to a different product range; (b) using a code reader coupled to the user terminal to read a machine readable code selected by the user from a set of codes defining product ranges; (c) selecting in the terminal that sequence of prompt identifiers corresponding to the code read; (d) displaying at the user terminal a prompt defined by a first identifer of the selected sequence; (e) using the code reader to read a user selected code, selected from a set of codes defining a product attribute corresponding to the last displaying prompt; (f) storing the read code in storage means of the user terminal; (g) displaying at the user terminal a further prompt defined by a subsequent identifier of the selected sequence; (h) repeating steps (e), (f) & (g) a number of times determined by the selected sequence; (i) communicating the data stored in the storage means to the central station.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
183 words
A method of communicating data regarding user buying habits from a user terminal to a central station comprising: (a) downloading into a user terminal sequences of prompt identifiers, with each sequence corresponding to a different product range; (b) using a code reader coupled to the user terminal to read a machine readable code selected by the user from a set of codes defining product ranges; (c) selecting in the terminal that sequence of prompt identifiers corresponding to the code read; (d) displaying at the user terminal a prompt defined by a first identifer of the selected sequence; (e) using the code reader to read a user selected code, selected from a set of codes defining a product attribute corresponding to the last displaying prompt; (f) storing the read code in storage means of the user terminal; (g) displaying at the user terminal a further prompt defined by a subsequent identifier of the selected sequence; (h) repeating steps (e), (f) & (g) a number of times determined by the selected sequence; (i) communicating the data stored in the storage means to the central station.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein a plurality of identifiers of the sequences are associated with unique code value ranges and the method includes between steps (e) and (f) the step of detecting when the current identifier is associated with a code value range and, in that case, comparing a code read with the code value range and proceeding to step (f) only when the comparing step identifies a valid code read.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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