Providing a location and item identification data to visually impaired shoppers in a site having barcode labels

A method performed within a portable device for providing information for providing information within a site based on a plurality of barcode labels within said site, wherein said method comprises:

• downloading information describing coded values of barcode labels within said site and locations of said barcode labels within said site;
• storing said information in a barcode location data structure;
• reading a barcode label;
• generating a most recently read coded value from said barcode label;
• determining a location of said barcode label from said information stored within said barcode location data structure;
• generating a pattern of synthetic speech describing said location of said barcode label;
• and
• driving an audio speaker in response to said pattern of synthetic speech describing said location of said barcode label.

A method performed within a portable device for providing information within a site based on a plurality of barcode labels within said site, wherein said method comprises:

• storing, within a barcode location data structure, a plurality of coded values in a first field, a plurality of first coordinate values in a second field, and a plurality of second coordinate values in a third field, wherein each coded value in said plurality of coded values is represented by a pattern of parallel markings on a barcode label in said plurality of barcode labels, and wherein each first location coordinate within said second field and each corresponding second location coordinate within said third field form a set of location coordinates representing a location of a label having a corresponding coded value in said first field;
• reading a barcode label within said plurality of barcode labels;
• generating a most recently read coded value from said barcode label most recently read;
• finding a stored coded value matching said most recently read coded value from a plurality of coded values stored within said first field of said barcode location data structure;
• finding a first location coordinate matching said most recently read coded value within data stored in a second field of said barcode location data structure at a location corresponding to said stored coded value matching said most recently read coded value;
• finding a second location coordinate matching said most recently read coded value within data stored in a third field of said barcode location data structure corresponding to said stored coded value matching said most recently read coded value;
• generating a pattern of synthetic speech describing a location represented by said first and second location coordinates matching said most recently read coded value;
• and
• driving an audio speaker in response to said pattern of synthetic speech.