PRODUCT INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR SHOPPERS.

摘要

The present invention teaches apparatus, method and use for a portable shopper product information remote unit. A plurality of remote units are provided to shoppers within a retail establishment which uses bar code scanners at a cashier's counter to record a shopper's purchase. The units are retrieved from each shopper subsequent to a finished purchase and returned to a central maintenance system. The remote units are updated with at least updated pricing information such that the bar code scanners at the cashier's counters and the remote units are provided with the same updated product pricing information. Security mechanisms are provided so that these remote units cannot be removed from the retail establishment by unauthorized persons. The present invention also features a Product Information System (PISYS) which presents advertising and product information to shoppers. An artificial intelligence system presents advertising and general product information. The system determines the shopper's tastes from choices which the shopper expresses explicitly and from characterizations which it infers by examining the shopper's buying habits. When the shopping session is complete, the PISYS shopping cart transfers relevant information to a PISYS check-out counter, which transfers it directly to an in-house central computer. This data is analyzed by the in-house central computer, which provides accurate, timely measures of the effectiveness of any change in store strategy.