Thumbwheel selection system
AssigneeDigital On-Demand
InventorBrian Horsley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for use in retail stores for selecting, previewing, and purchasing music or other products is provided. The graphical information system provides a user with the ability to locate products through an interface that combines the use of mechanical wheels with a touch screen whereby rotation of the mechanical wheels, or thumbwheels, appears on screen to rotate a series of mechanical type drums. The system provides a user with the functionality and entertainment value of a kiosk coupled with a powerful method of selecting products from a large catalog using thumbwheels in conjunction with a hierarchical graphical user interface tailored for the specific retail environment.
Claims16
A system for use in a retail store for selecting, previewing, and purchasing products, the system comprising a graphical interface that includes:
- a touch screen;
- and
- a plurality of mechanical selection wheels,
- wherein the mechanical selection wheels provide for selection from among a predetermined hierarchical grouping of products using the graphical interface and resembling at least one rotating drum, and
- wherein each of the mechanical selection wheels provides for selection from different portions of the touch screen, respectively.
A method for selecting, previewing, and purchasing items, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing thumbwheels in conjunction with a graphical interface to hierarchically select from a series of items, wherein the thumbwheels operate to visually appear to turn a series of items resembling mechanical rotatable drums;
- and
- providing a touch screen to enable a user to select one or more items and to navigate a multitude of screen portions,
- wherein each of the thumbwheels provides for selection from different screen portions of the touch screen, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.