System and method for automated shopping

Claim 1

A method of automated shopping, comprising: (a) accepting and retaining an authorized payment medium; (b) releasing a portable bar code scanner means upon acceptance and retention of the authorized payment medium, the scanner means being secured in a holder for limited access; (c) displaying a plurality of items for purchase in a store; (d) selecting an item to be purchased from a store display; (e) scanning bar code indicia information related to the selected item to be purchased with the bar code scanner means, the bar code indicia indicating at least a purchase price for the selected item; and (f) returning the scanner means to the scanner holder; (g) debiting the payment medium for the purchase price of the selected item; and (h) thereafter, in exchange for the returned scanner means, returning the payment medium.

Claim 2

A method of automated shopping, comprising: (a) accepting and retaining an authorized payment medium; (b) releasing a portable bar code scanner means upon acceptance and retention of the authorized payment medium, the scanner means being secured in a holder for limited access; (c) displaying a plurality of items for purchase in a store; (d) selecting an item to be purchased from a store display; (e) scanning bar code indicia information related to the selected item to be purchased with the bar code scanner means, the bar code indicia indicating at least a purchase price for the selected item; and (f) returning the scanner means to the scanner holder; (g) debiting the payment medium for the purchase price of the selected item; and (h) thereafter, in exchange for the returned scanner means, returning the payment medium.

Claim 11

A system for automated shopping comprising: portable bar code scanner means for scanning the bar code indicia information on selected items, the bar code indicia indicating at least a purchase price for each selected item; holder means for securing said scanner means within said holder means; release means for releasing said scanner means from said holder means upon acceptance of a payment medium, said release means retaining the payment medium, until the return of said scanner means thereto; microprocessor means for processing information received from said scanner means; transceiver means for communicating information between said microprocessor means and a control means for the automated shopping system via wireless transmission; control means for receiving from said transceiver means the bar code indicia information scanned by said scanner means and debiting the payment medium for the purchase price of the selected items; an inventory retrieval means for retrieving and accumulating the selected items from inventory, said control means transmitting the items to be retrieved to said inventory retrieval means; wherein said release means returns the payment medium after return of said scanner means to said holder means.

Claim 12

A system for automated shopping comprising: portable bar code scanner means for scanning the bar code indicia information on selected items, the bar code indicia indicating at least a purchase price for each selected item; holder means for securing said scanner means within said holder means; release means for releasing said scanner means from said holder means upon acceptance of a payment medium, said release means retaining the payment medium, until the return of said scanner means thereto; microprocessor means for processing information received from said scanner means; transceiver means for communicating information between said microprocessor means and a control means for the automated shopping system via wireless transmission; control means for receiving from said transceiver means the bar code indicia information scanned by said scanner means and debiting the payment medium for the purchase price of the selected items; an inventory retrieval means for retrieving and accumulating the selected items from inventory, said control means transmitting the items to be retrieved to said inventory retrieval means; wherein said release means returns the payment medium after return of said scanner means to said holder means.