Low-power hand-held transaction device

A hand-held device for inputting request data, constructing a request, transmitting the request to a server computer through a telecommunications link, receiving a response to the request from the server computer, and outputting the response, the hand-held device coupled to a telecommunications link through which the request is transmitted and the response is received, the telecommunications link also serving as a sufficient source of electrical power to operate the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising:

• a number of input components for inputting request data from a number of different input media, including audio tones and mechanical manipulation of an input component and at least one of additional input media including electronic, magnetic, and printed request data;
• a processing component that constructs a request from the request data;
• a transceiver component that sends the request to the server computer and that receives the response from the server computer;
• and
• a number of output components that output a portion of the response received from the server computer in a particular response output medium.

A method for conducting transactions and for information acquisition and display, the method comprising:

• connecting a hand-held device to a telecommunications link so that the hand-held device obtains sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link to operate and so that the hand-held device can transmit and receive analog signals and digitized packets via the telecommunications link;
• inputting data to the hand-held device that represents a portion of a request, the request selected from one of a number of types of requests, including a transaction request that represents a command and solicits a response to the command and an informational request that solicits a response containing requested information, the data input in the form of audio tones, including voice data, mechanical input, and at least one of additional data input types including electronic, magnetic, and printed data;
• when the request is intended to be sent to a server computer, formatting the data into one or more digitized packets and sending the one or more digitized packets to the server computer and receiving one or more digitized packets from the server computer that contain the response;
• when the request is intended to be sent to a human operator via analog signals,
• sending input voice data to the human operator as analog signals and receiving from the human operator analog signals that represent a voice response;
• and
• outputting the response in one or more of a number of response output types, including displayed alphanumeric symbols, displayed graphical images, and audio tones.

A hand-held device for inputting request data, constructing a request, and transmitting the request to a computer through a communications link, the communications link also serving as a sufficient source of electrical power to operate the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising:

• one or more input components, each input component capable of inputting request data from a different type of input media, including audio tones, mechanical manipulation of an input component, electronically encoded request data, magnetically encoded request data, and printed request data;
• a processing component that constructs a request from the request data;
• and
• a transceiver component that sends the request to the computer.

A method for collecting input by a hand-held device, transmitting the collected input from the hand-held device to a remote entity through a telecommunications link, receiving a response from the remote entity, and outputting the response by the hand-held device, the hand-held device comprising a number of internal components, including input components, a transceiver component, and a number of output components, the method comprising:

• coupling the hand-held device to a telecommunications link to transmit the collected input and to receive the response through the telecommunications link and to draw sufficient electrical power from the telecommunications link to operate the hand-held device;
• maintaining the internal components of the hand-held device in inactive states and thereby conserving power prior to receiving the input request;
• receiving an indication initiate input, the input selected from among audio tones, mechanical input, and from one of additional types of input including magnetic, an electronic, and a printed input;
• activating an input component within the hand-held device to receive the input;
• activating the transceiver component to transmit the collected input to the remote entity and to receive the response from the remote entity through the telecommunications link;
• activating an output component to output the response, the output component selected from among an audio speaker and a visual display;
• and
• deactivating the activated internal components.