Portable electronic terminal and data processing system

A personal shopping system home station adapted for use with a personal shopping system which is in turn adapted for use in both a home of a user and at least one shopping establishment, the personal shopping system including a host computer coupled to a host modem, the personal shopping system also including a shopping establishment kiosk cradle having a kiosk portable terminal-receiving station and a kiosk data interface, said home station comprising:

• a home cradle associated with the home of the user and adapted to remain therein, said home cradle in turn comprising:
• a home portable terminal-receiving station;
• a home data interface associated with said home portable terminal-receiving station;
• and
• a home data transfer circuit, said home data transfer circuit being coupled to said home data interface for data exchange therewith, said home data transfer circuit being configured for data exchange with the host modem;
• and
• a portable terminal which is portable between the home of the user and the at least one shopping establishment, said portable terminal in turn comprising:
• a memory for storing data associated with bar codes which are in turn associated with items related to shopping;
• and
• a two-way terminal data interface coupled to said memory, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said kiosk data interface when said portable terminal is received in said kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said home data interface when said portable terminal is received in said home portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for reading the bar codes associated with the items related to shopping;
• wherein:
• said home data transfer circuit supplies the host computer with the data associated with the bar codes when said portable terminal is received in said home portable terminal-receiving station;
• the shopping establishment kiosk cradle accepts the data associated with the bar codes from said portable terminal through the kiosk data interface and said terminal data interface when said portable terminal is received in the kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, and then downloads the data associated with the bar codes to the host computer;
• and
• the host computer receives the data associated with the bar codes and stores the data in a shopping list database.

A personal shopping system portable terminal adapted for use with a personal shopping system which is in turn adapted for use in both a home of a user and at least one shopping establishment, the personal shopping system including a host computer coupled to a host modem, the personal shopping system also including a shopping establishment kiosk cradle coupled to the host computer and having a kiosk portable terminal-receiving station and a kiosk data interface, the personal shopping system further including a home cradle having a home portable terminal-receiving station and a home data interface, said personal shopping system portable terminal comprising:

• a memory for storing data associated with bar codes which are in turn associated with items related to shopping;
• a two-way terminal data interface coupled to said memory, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said kiosk data interface when said portable terminal is received in said kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said home data interface when said portable terminal is received in said home portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for reading the bar codes associated with the items related to shopping;
• and
• intrinsic identifying indicia, contained in said portable terminal, to identify the user to the host computer;
• wherein:
• said home data transfer circuit supplies the host computer with the data associated with the bar codes when said portable terminal is received in the home portable terminal-receiving station;
• the shopping establishment kiosk cradle accepts the data associated with the bar codes from said portable terminal through the kiosk data interface and said terminal data interface when said portable terminal is received in the kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, and then downloads the data associated with the bar codes to the host computer;
• and
• the host computer receives the data associated with the bar codes and stores the data in a shopping list database.

A method of placing an order for items including at least one of goods and services, said method comprising the steps of:

• reading bar codes associated with the items with a two-way terminal data interface of a portable terminal;
• storing data associated with the bar codes in a memory of said portable terminal;
• transferring the data associated with the bar codes to a host computer for storage in a shopping list database, said transferring step including the sub-steps of:
• transferring the data associated with the bar codes from said memory of said portable terminal to said two-way terminal data interface of said portable terminal;
• transferring the data associated with the bar codes from said two-way terminal data interface to a data interface of one of:
• a kiosk portable terminal-receiving station of a shopping establishment kiosk cradle which is coupled to said host computer;
• and
• a home portable terminal-receiving station of a home cradle associated with a home of a user, said home cradle being coupled to said host computer;
• and then transferring the data to said host computer;
• and
• transmitting identifying indicia to said host computer to identify the user to the host computer.

A system for ordering and supplying selected goods and services, comprising:

• a host computer having a host computer memory for providing centrally stored data;
• one or more stackable cradle assemblies coupled to and in communication with said host computer, each of said cradle assemblies in turn comprising:
• a plurality of docking stations each having a corresponding cradle data interface;
• a data transfer circuit coupled to said cradle data interface for exchanging said centrally stored data and newly entered personnel management data therewith, said data transfer circuit being configured for exchanging said centrally stored and newly entered data with said host computer;
• and
• a plurality of portable terminals for displaying said centrally stored data and for providing said newly entered data to said host computer, each of said portable terminals in turn comprising:
• a memory for storing said centrally stored and newly entered personnel management data;
• and
• a terminal data interface coupled to said memory, said terminal data interface being configured for exchanging said centrally stored and newly entered data with said cradle data interface when said portable terminal is docked within said corresponding one of said cradle docking stations;
• wherein said cradle data transfer circuit supplies said host computer with said newly entered data when said portable terminal is docked within said corresponding one of said cradle docking stations, and said host computer receives said newly entered data and stores said newly entered data in said host computer memory.

A system for ordering and supplying selected goods and services, comprising:

• a host computer;
• a host modem coupled to said host computer;
• at least one centrally located kiosk cradle coupled to said host computer, said at least one kiosk cradle in turn comprising:
• a kiosk portable terminal-receiving station;
• and
• a kiosk data interface associated with said kiosk portable terminal-receiving station;
• a home cradle associated with the home of the user, said home cradle in turn comprising:
• a home portable terminal-receiving station;
• a home data interface associated with said home portable terminal-receiving station;
• and
• a home data transfer circuit, said home data transfer circuit being coupled to said home data interface for data exchange therewith, said home data transfer circuit being configured for data exchange with said host modem;
• and
• a portable terminal, said portable terminal in turn comprising:
• a memory for storing data associated with bar codes;
• and
• a two-way terminal data interface coupled to said memory, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said kiosk data interface when said portable terminal is received in said kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for data exchange with said home data interface when said portable terminal is received in said home portable terminal-receiving station, said terminal data interface being configured for reading the bar codes;
• wherein:
• said home data transfer circuit supplies said host computer with the data associated with the bar codes when said portable terminal is received in said home portable terminal-receiving station;
• said kiosk cradle accepts the data associated with the bar codes from said portable terminal through said kiosk data interface and said terminal data interface when said portable terminal is received in said kiosk portable terminal-receiving station, and then downloads the data associated with the bar codes to said host computer;
• and
• said host computer receives the data associated with the bar codes and stores the data in a database.

In an information system having a host computer and at least one portable terminal having a bar code reader, a shopping method comprising:

• storing one or more recipes in said host computer, said recipes each includes a list of ingredients;
• generating bar codes corresponding to said list;
• forwarding said bar codes and list to said portable terminal;
• displaying said list at said portable terminal;
• scanning, as required, goods corresponding to said ingredients until all goods corresponding to said ingredients have been individually acquired;
• logging said scanning of goods to verify complete scanning of said goods corresponding to said ingredients.