A system for controlling use and distribution of digital works, in which the owner
of a digital work (101) attaches usage rights (102) to that work. Usage rights are granted by the
"owner" of a digital work to "buyers" of the digital work. The usage rights define how a
digital work may be used and further distributed by the buyer. Each right has associated with it
certain optional specifications which outline the conditions and fees upon which the right may
be exercised. Digital works are stored in a repository. A repository will process each request
(103,104) to access a digital work by examining the corresponding usage rights (105). Digital
work playback devices, coupled to the repository containing the work, are used to play, display
or print the work. Access to digital works for the purposes of transporting between
repositories (e.g. copying, borrowing or transfer) is carried out using a digital work transport
protocol. Access to digital works for the purposes of replay by a digital work playback
device(e.g. printing, displaying or executing) is carried out using a digital work playback
protocol. Access is denied (106) or granted (107) depending whether the requesting repository
has the required usage rights.

System for controlling the distribution and use of digital works

A system of Flash EEprom memory chips with controlling circuits serves as non-volatile memory such as that provided by magnetic disk drives. Improvements include selective multiple sector erase, in which any combinations of Flash sectors may be erased together. Selective sectors among the selected combination may also be de-selected during the erase operation. Another improvement is the ability to remap and replace defective cells with substitute cells. The remapping is performed automatically as soon as a defective cell is detected. When the number of defects in a Flash sector becomes large, the whole sector is remapped. Yet another improvement is the use of a write cache to reduce the number of writes to the Flash EEprom memory, thereby minimizing the stress to the device from undergoing too many write/erase cycling.

Flash EEprom system

The present invention relates generally to a consumer interactive shopping and marketing system The system includes a portable data terminal for communicating information over a communication network The present system has aspects that may be used within a shopping establishment or at a user's home

Consumer interactive shopping system

The present invention relates to an improved portable shopping system. The system is provided with improved data presentation system for presenting customer desired data on a portable terminal. The portable terminal includes audio as well as video presentation means which are used to provide customer specific marketing files to promote the sale of identified items.

Method and system for presenting item information using a portable data terminal

Apparatus and methods are provided for effecting remote commerce, such as in telemarketing (either inbound or outbound) and in electronic commerce, which are particularly adapted for the intelligent selection and proffer of products, services or information to a user or customer. In one aspect of the invention, goods, service or information are provided to the user via electronic communication, such as through a telephone, videophone or other computer link, as determined by the steps of first, establishing communication via the electronic communications device between the user and the system to effect a primary transaction or primary interaction, second, obtaining data with respect to the primary transaction or primary interaction, including at least in part a determination of the identity of the user or prospective customer, third, obtaining at least a second data element relating to the user, fourth, utilizing the primary transaction or primary interaction data along with the at least second data element as factors in determining at least one good, service or item of information for prospective upsell to the user or prospective customer, and offering the item to the prospective customer. In the preferred embodiment, the selection of the proffer of goods, services or information comprises an upsell with respect to the primary transaction or primary interaction data. The offer of the upsell is preferably generated and offered in real time, that is, during the course of the communication initiated with the primary transaction or primary interaction.

Methods and apparatus for intelligent selection of goods and services in telephonic and electronic commerce

An electronic personal shopping system, communicating between a store computer and a mobile terminal, for organizing a consumer's movement through a retail facility in accordance with the consumer's current location and the locations of desired items on either a shopping list or a recommended replenishment item list. The shopping list and recommended replenishment item list are hosted on a customer IC card and read by a mobile shopping terminal. A price look-up table is maintained in a store database and includes location indicia identified to each merchandise item of the store's inventory. As a product is scanned, that item's location indicia is assumed to represent a customer's current location. A desired destination item is taken from the shopping list or the recommended replenishment item list and a distance and direction metric is calculated based on the customer's current location. The system includes a processor capable of developing a recommended replenishment item list from a series of shopping history data records also hosted on the IC card. Each shopping trip results in preparation of a most recent shopping history data record.

Electronic shopping system including customer relocation recognition

An electronic shopping system, providing for customer recognition using wireless identification and visual data transmission to point-of-sale terminals and other terminal types located in a commercial establishment. A customer's visual image is taken as a customer enters the establishment and, that customer's identification number is obtained from a customer identification card, if the customer possesses such a card. The visual image data is bundled with the customer's demographic profile data, transaction history data and the customer's current accrued store loyalty or incentive points into a customer data record. The customer data record is forwarded to point-of-sale terminals, store workstations, mobile terminals, or other I/O devices capable of displaying multiple customer records. The establishment staff is able to access each of the customer records in order to visually identify customers as they enter the establishment, without the customers needing to announce themselves or otherwise advertise their presence. A customer's visual image can also be acquired as a customer accesses a check-in kiosk terminal prior to beginning a shopping excursion. The acquired customer visual image is bundled with customer preference data and made available to the establishment's staff for visual recognition of each individual customer.

System and method for customer recognition using wireless identification and visual data transmission

A transaction authentication system comprises a terminal, a first memory and an IC card which is detachably loaded into the terminal. The terminal supplies at least transaction data which is related to a transaction a designated storage region in a second memory stores the transaction data to the IC card when the IC card accesses to a service via the terminal. A second processor of the IC card writes the transaction data received from the terminal in the designated storage region of the second memory and generates a vertified data which is renewed every time the transaction data is written into the second memory. The verified data has a value in conformance with a predetermined generating algorithm and is stored in the second memory and also supplied to the terminal. A first processor of the terminal generates transaction historical information which includes at least the designated storage region, the transaction data and the vertified data and stores the transaction historical information in the first memory. Thus a transaction is authenticated from a corresponding of the verified data stored in the first memory and the verified data stored in the second memory.

Transaction authentication system.

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods by which information concerning the shelf-life limitations of a particular product item is made available to the purchaser electronically; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is provided to, or made accessible by, the purchaser; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is communicated to a computer equipped with a microprocessor, or to a computer system network, accessible by the purchaser, programmed to receive the shelf-life limitation data for each product for that purchaser; that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network, is further programmed to provide the purchaser with on-screen and/or printed reports of various formats that list the items purchased and the corresponding shelf-life limitation information; and that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network provides interactivity with the purchaser to allow the purchaser to identify further information to the computer/network, such as identifying location information of each particular product item, and the inventory status of each particular product item, e.g., whether the product has been opened or has been discarded.

System and method for managing expiration-dated products utilizing an electronic receipt

An Internet-based electronic shopping system hosted on a television-set-top-box combination controlled by a remote control unit The set-top box (STB) includes a tuner, an internal or external modem and/or cable modem, configured to communicate with an Internet service provider over the appropriate transmission media The STB also includes purpose-type application software such as voice recognition software and bar code recognition software to support an electronic shopping system The STB further includes an external interface for connection to a multiplicity of external peripheral devices, such as an interphone, VCR, video camera, printer, and the like The remote control unit includes a keypad, a microphone, an optional speaker, an optional digital camera, and an optional speaker Data input to an Internet shopping Web program accessed through the STB's Web browser may thus be made through the microphone, keypad, and optionally through the digital camera If the remote control unit includes the digital camera, bar code information may be scanned by the remote control unit and transmitted to the STB for identifying an item to be purchased The remote control unit is also capable of being used as a cordless telephone or videophone, and might also function as a handset for an interphone when the appropriate communication links are connected to the STB through its external interface When the system is used as a videophone, videographic images of a party on the other end of the line is displayed on the TV screen via a pop-up window

Nobuo Ogasawara

Papers

Electronic shopping system including customer relocation recognition

System and method for customer recognition using wireless identification and visual data transmission

Transaction authentication system.

System and method for managing expiration-dated products utilizing an electronic receipt

Internet shopping system utilizing set top box and voice recognition