# US 10,872,324 B2 · Shopping support computing device

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- Number: US 10,872,324 B2
- Document ID: US10872324B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/863,358
- Filed: 2018-01-05
- Published: 2018-05-10
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2014-03-03
- Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Keiichi Hasegawa; Mahina Nakamura; Maki Sato; Yumiko Okuma; Yasutsugu Sasaki; Tsuyoshi Gotanda; Mina Kodama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872324B2

## CPC

- G06Q 20/202: {Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR}
- G06Q 20/209: {Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output}
- G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A computing device includes an operation unit configured to receive a first user input about an item to be purchased, a display unit configured to display a name of the item and an interface based on which a user can make a second user input about the user's preference of the item through the operation unit, and a communication unit configured to transmit data corresponding to the first and second user inputs to an external device configured to store information about items for sale and information about user preferences of the items.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computing device for communicating with an external device and prompting the external device to return data relevant to user inputs made through the computing device, comprising:
a display for displaying a graphical user interface;
a communication interface for communicating with an external device; and
a processor configured by a program to carry out the steps of:
receiving a first user input designating a category of merchandise;
detecting the name of the category in the first user input;
controlling the display to display the first user input in the graphical user interface;
receiving a second user input indicating whether acquisition of additional information associated with the merchandise has been requested;
controlling the communication interface to transmit the first user input, the detected name of the category, and the second user input; and
controlling the display to display, in the graphical user interface, category information, the category information being related to the category designated by the first user input;
controlling the display to replace the detected name of the category with a registered name associated with the detected name of the category when the external device returns the registered name in response to the transmission of the detected name;
controlling the display to display, in the graphical user interface, the additional information in conjunction with the category information when the second user input indicates acquisition of the additional information has been requested, wherein
the additional information includes memo information associated with the merchandise or at least one item of the merchandise in the category of merchandise.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the additional information further includes statistical information related to the merchandise or at least one item of merchandise in the category of merchandise.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the memo information has been provided by a second computing device communicating with the external device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes an icon indicating a user preference for an item of merchandise in the category of merchandise.

### Claim 5

A shopping support system, comprising:
a server storing information;
a customer computing device including:
a display for displaying a graphical user interface;
a communication interface for communicating with the server; and
a processor configured by a program to carry out the steps of:
receiving a first user input designating a category of merchandise;
detecting the name of the category in the first user input;
controlling the display to display the first user input in the graphical user interface;
receiving a second user input indicating whether acquisition of additional information associated with the merchandise has been requested;
controlling the communication interface to transmit the first user input, the detected name of the category, and the second user input to the server; and
controlling the display to display, in the graphical user interface, category information, the category information being related to the category designated by the first user input;
controlling the display to replace the detected name of the category with a registered name associated with the detected name of the category when the server returns the registered name in response to the transmission of the detected name;
controlling the display to display, in the graphical user interface, the additional information, returned from the server, in conjunction with the category information when the second user input indicates acquisition of the additional information from the server has been requested, wherein
the additional information includes memo information associated with the merchandise of at least one item of merchandise in the category of merchandise.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The shopping support system according to claim 5, wherein the additional information further includes statistical information related to the merchandise or at least one item of merchandise in the category of merchandise.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The shopping support system according to claim 5, wherein the memo information has been provided by a second customer computing device communicating with the server.