Self-service checkout system utilizing portable self-checkout communications terminal

Claim 2

A self-checkout system comprising; a. a central site including a look up table containing a plurality of data records correlating to items disposed at a retail establishment, wherein each of said items has associated with it a bar code encoded with an indicia unique to said item, with each said bar coded indicia corresponding to a record in said table; and b. a portable self-checkout communications terminal including: i) a bar code reader for optically reading a bar code located on a selected item and for generating a bar code data signal indicative of the identity of said selected item; ii) a phone module for enabling a user to voice communicate with a selected party; iii) a switch for enabling a user to select a scan mode, wherein a data field indicative of said generated bar code data signal is transmitted to said central site to facilitate a self-checkout transaction and a phone mode, wherein said phone module is enabled to allow a user to voice communicate with a selected party; and iv) a transceiver for enabling wireless communications with said central site and said selected party via a telephone network.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 further comprising a first memory for storing a current transaction file, said current transaction file containing a list of at least a portion of said records corresponding to a plurality of selected items retrieved from said look up table.

Claim 4

The system of claim 2 wherein said records contained in said transaction file comprises price data for a number of items read via said bar code reader.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of checkout terminals associated with said retail establishment, each terminal of said plurality of checkout terminals comprising means for obtaining said transaction file for item checkout purposes.

Claim 6

The system of claim 4 wherein said checkout terminal comprises a display for displaying information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of selected items.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 wherein said checkout terminal further comprises means for adjusting said information.

Claim 8

The system of claim 2 wherein said first memory is associated with said central site.

Claim 9

The system of claim 2 wherein said first memory is associated with said portable self-checkout communication terminal.

Claim 10

The system of claim 2 wherein said central site further comprises a second memory for storing a plurality of prior transaction files, each of said prior transaction files containing information regarding a user's prior transactions.

Claim 11

The system of claim 9 wherein said central site comprises means for updating a user's prior transaction file in accordance with said user's current transaction file.

Claim 12

The system of claim 10, further comprising a checkout terminal for retrieving from said central site said user's updated prior transaction file.

Claim 13

The system of claim 1 wherein the phone module outputs at least a portion of said records after transmission from said central site to said portable self checkout communication terminal.

Claim 14

The system of claim 1 further comprising a visual display on said portable self checkout terminal, wherein the visual display outputs at least a portion of said records after transmission from said central site to said portable self checkout communication terminal.

Claim 15

The system in claim 13, wherein said visual display comprises a touch screen.

Claim 16

The system in claim 14, wherein said touch screen is configured with plural sets of control buttons and menus, wherein one of said sets is configured to function with said scan mode and another of said sets is configured to function with said phone mode.

Claim 17

The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plural sets of control buttons on the touch screen is a set of user-programmable control buttons and menus.

Claim 18

The system in claim 13, wherein said visual display comprises a liquid crystal display(LCD).

Claim 19

The system in claim 17 further comprising a plurality of control keys.

Claim 20

The system in claim 18, wherein the functionality of said control keys is associated with the state of said switch of said portable self-checkout communications terminal.

Claim 21

The system of claim 1 wherein said bar code reader comprises a bar code laser scanning module.

Claim 22

The system of claim 1 further comprising a suspender for suspending communications between said portable self-checkout communications terminal and said central site, and enabling communications between said portable self-checkout communications terminal and the selected party.

Claim 23

The system in claim 1, wherein said portable self-checkout communications terminal comprises a replaceable modular unit and wherein said bar code reader is located within said replaceable modular unit, and wherein said replaceable modular unit comprises a communication interface that enable communications between said bar code reader and said portable self-checkout communications terminal.

Claim 24

The system in claim 22, wherein said replaceable modular unit further comprises a replaceable rechargeable power supply module.

Claim 25

The system in claim 23, wherein said portable self-checkout communication terminal is in a form of a cellular phone, said cellular phone comprises said replaceable rechargeable power supply module, said replaceable rechargeable power supply module comprises said bar code reader, and said replaceable rechargeable power supply module also comprises an internal interface for enabling the transmission of the bar code data signal indicative of the identity of said selected item from the bar code reader on the replaceable rechargeable power supply module to the transceiver of the self checkout communication terminal.

Claim 26

The system in claim 2 further comprising a verification means for generating transaction verification procedures.

Claim 27

The system in claim 25 further comprising a verification procedure generator for transferring said verification procedure into said portable self-checkout communication terminal.

Claim 28

The system in claim 13, wherein said visual display means comprises a light emitting diode (LED) display.

Claim 29

The system in claim 27 further comprising a plurality of control keys.

Claim 30

A self-checkout system for facilitating a self-checkout transaction by a customer selecting at least one item, comprising: a) a central site including a look up table containing a plurality of data records correlating to items disposed at a retail establishment, wherein each of said items has associated with it a bar code indicia unique to said item, with each said bar coded indicia corresponding to a particular record in said table; b) an at least one checkout register in communication with said central site for processing a checkout portion of the self-checkout transaction; c) an at least one portable self-checkout communications terminal for communicating with said central site, said at least one portable self-checkout terminal including a bar code leader for reading the bar code associated with the at least one selected item and a phone module for communicating voice data over a communications network; and d) a local communication network for enabling communication between said central site and said at least one communications terminal, wherein the customer generates a list including the at least one selected item using the at least one portable self-checkout communication terminal with up-to-date corresponding records stored in the central site with the local communication channel and completes the checkout portion of the self-checkout transaction at the at least one checkout register.

Claim 31

A self-checkout system for facilitating a self-checkout transaction by a customer selecting at least one item, comprising: a) a central site including a look up table containing a plurality of data records correlating to items disposed at a retail establishment, wherein each of said items has associated with it a bar code indicia unique to said item, with each said bar coded indicia corresponding to a particular record in said table; b) an at least one checkout register in communication with said central site for processing a checkout portion of the self-checkout transaction; c) an at least one portable self-checkout communications terminal for communicating with said central site, said at least one portable self-checkout terminal including a bar code leader for reading the bar code associated with the at least one selected item and a phone module for communicating voice data over a communications network; and d) a local communication network for enabling communication between said central site and said at least one communications terminal, wherein the customer generates a list including the at least one selected item using the at least one portable self-checkout communication terminal with up-to-date corresponding records stored in the central site with the local communication channel and completes the checkout portion of the self-checkout transaction at the at least one checkout register.

Claim 32

The self-checkout system of claim 29, further comprising a global communications network for providing a communication channel between said at least one self-checkout communications terminal and a selected party.

Claim 33

The self-checkout system of claim 30, wherein said at least one portable self-checkout communications terminal further comprises a switch for selecting a scan mode wherein a bar code data signal is transmitted to said central site to facilitate a self-checkout transaction, and a phone mode wherein said customer voice communicates with the selected party.

Claim 34

The self-checkout system of claim 31, wherein said at least one portable self-checkout communications terminal is capable of suspending said scan mode during communication with said selected party.

Claim 37

The method in claim 33, wherein the step of updating said data record in the customer transaction file is selected from the steps of adding and deleting the selected item from said transaction file.

Claim 38

The method in claim 34, wherein said customer transaction file is located at said central site.

Claim 39

The method in claim 34, wherein said customer transaction file is located in said portable self-checkout communications terminal.

Claim 40

The method in claim 34, wherein said portable self-checkout communications terminal includes a phone module for voice communications, said method comprising a step of voice communicating between said user and a selected party during said self-checkout transaction.