Customer indicia storage and utilization system

A compatibility determination subsystem for use in connection with a system for assisting a customer, the system comprising machine-readable currently-owned item indicia store for storing indicia identifying at least one selected characteristic of at least one item currently owned by the customer, the compatibility determination subsystem generating a compatibility assessment in response to the currently-owned item indicia stored by said currently-owned item indicia store, indicia identifying at least one selected characteristic for at least one item provisionally selected by the customer, and compatibility parameter information identifying compatibilities among various types of indicia, the compatibility determination subsystem including:

• A. a currently-owned item indicia input for receiving the currently-owned item indicia stored by said currently-owned item indicia store;
• B. a selected item indicia input for receiving the selected item indicia for the at least one item provisionally selected by the customer;
• C. a compatibility parameter information store for storing the compatibility parameter information identifying compatibilities among various types of indicia;
• and
• D. a compatibility assessment generator for generating the compatibility assessment from the selected item indicia and currently-owned item indicia in relation to the compatibility parameter information.

A compatibility assessment generating system for generating a compatibility assessment for an item in response to item indicia associated with at least one selected characteristic of said item and other indicia, in relation to compatibility parameter information, the compatibility assessment generating system including:

• A. an indicia input for receiving the item indicia and the other indicia;
• B. a compatibility parameter information store for storing the compatibility parameter information identifying compatibilities among values associated with each of said item indicia and said other indicia;
• and
• C. a compatibility assessment generator for generating the compatibility assessment from the item indicia and the other indicia in relation to the compatibility parameter information.