Barcode displaying method and barcode displaying program product

#This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-93012, filed on Mar. 28, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

#The present invention relates to a method and program which display a barcode on a portable terminal unit, e.g., a portable information terminal or cellular phone, having a memory and display unit.

#Japan Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2002-32723 describes a portable terminal unit having a barcode display means and a communication means. In the portable terminal unit, barcode data containing the ID number and service information of a customer, which is received through the communication means, is converted into barcode display data and displayed on the barcode display means. When the displayed barcode is read by a barcode scanner of a POS (Point-Of-Sales) terminal, a member card service or coupon ticket service is provided to the user.

#The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a cellular phone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing barcode display control of the cellular phone according to the embodiment;

#Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a cellular phone serving as a terminal unit. The cellular phone has an arithmetic unit 1, memory 2, display unit 3, key input unit 4, microphone/speaker unit 5, and network unit 6. These are electrically connected through a bus line 7.

#The arithmetic unit 1 includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The arithmetic unit 1 executes a program to perform arithmetic processing. The memory 2 comprises a RAM and stores information. The display unit 3 has a liquid crystal display screen and displays various characters and images. The key input unit 4 is used to input a telephone number or character. The microphone/speaker unit 5 inputs/outputs audio data. The network unit 6 (communication unit) transmits/receives data through a network.