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.
Claims20
A system for selecting and previewing items in an electronic catalog, the system comprising a graphical interface that includes:
- a display unit;
- and
- a plurality of mechanical selection units, each of which may be manually manipulated by a user,
- wherein the selection units provide for selection from among a predetermined hierarchical grouping of items using the graphical interface, and
- wherein each of the selection units provides for selection from different portions of the display unit, respectively.
A method for selecting and previewing items in an electronic catalog using a graphical interface, the method comprising:
- providing a display unit;
- and
- providing a plurality of mechanical selection units, each of which may be manually manipulated by a user,
- wherein the selection units provide for selection from among a predetermined hierarchical grouping of items using the graphical interface, and
- wherein each of the selection units provides for selection from different portions of the display unit, respectively.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.