text:
A method for initiating and completing a commercial transaction is disclosed that allows a user to acquire and own an article of commerce having associated therewith a machine resolvable code (MRC), the MRC having encoded therein information relating to the article of commerce, the user having unique identification information associated with the user. The MRC is first recognized and a representation of at least a portion of the MRC containing at least a representation of the encoded information from the MRC is stored in a temporary buffer. The unique identification information is then associated with the user that allows a retail processing system to uniquely identify the user. The stored representation of the MRC and the unique identification information is transferred to the retail processing system and then ownership of the article of commerce is transferred from an entity other than the user to the user to complete the transaction.
1. A method for initiating and completing a commercial transaction with a retail processing system to allow a user to acquire and own an article of commerce having associated therewith a machine resolvable code (MRC), the MRC having encoded therein information relating to the article of commerce, the user having unique identification information associated with the user, comprising the steps of:
recognizing the MRC with an input device;
storing a representation of at least a portion of the MRC containing at least a representation of the encoded information from the MRC in a temporary buffer;
associating with the step of recognizing, the unique identification information associated with the user that allows the retail processing system to uniquely identify the user; and
after the step of recognizing and storing the representation of the at least a portion of the MRC in the temporary buffer:
transferring to the retail processing system the stored representation of the MRC, and the unique identification information associated with the step of recognizing; and
in response to the step of recognizing, the step of transferring to and the retail processing system receiving the representation of the MRC and the transferred unique identification information, transferring ownership of the article of commerce from an entity other than the user to the user to complete the transaction.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. The method of
extracting from a lookup table user information about the user that is associated with the unique user ID, which association is created prior to the step of providing the personal scanner to the user; and
completing the commercial transaction by transferring ownership of the article of commerce to the user associated with the user information.
9. The method of
creating a database at the retail processing system of a user of the personal scanner such that the user is associated with the unique ID at the retail processing system prior to providing a personal scanner to the user.
10. The method of
11. The method of
12. A system for initiating and completing a commercial transaction to allow a user to acquire and own an article of commerce, the user having unique identification information associated therewith, comprising:
a machine resolvable code (MRC) associated with the article of commerce, said MRC having encoded therein information relating to the article of commerce;
an input device for recognizing at least a portion of the MRC which said input device by recognizing at least a portion of the MRC initiates a commercial transaction;
a temporary buffer for storing said recognized at least a portion of the MRC;
an identification device for associating the unique identification information associated with the user with the recognizing operation of said input device;
a retail processing system operable to receive said at least a portion of the MRC, and also receive said unique identification information, after said least a portion of the MRC is recognized and stored;
means for transferring from said input device said least a portion of the MRC and from said identification device said unique identification information to said retail processing system after the recognizing of said least a portion of the MRC by said input device; and
wherein, in response to said retail processing system receiving from said input device said encoded least a portion of the MRC and said transferred unique identification information, ownership of the article of commerce is transferred from an entity other than the user to the user to complete said commercial transaction, such that the operation of recognizing performed by said input device is operable to cause transfer of said least a portion of the MRC and said unique identification information to said retail processing system and said retail processing system completing said commercial transaction.
13. The system of
14. The system of
15. The system of
16. The system of
17. The system of
18. The system of
19. The system of
20. The system of
21. The system of
22. The system of
This application is a Continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/597,131 entitled "PORTABLE SCANNER FOR ENABLING AUTOMATIC COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS" filed on Jun. 20, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,392,945, issued Jul. 1, 2008, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/378,221 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACCESSING A REMOTE LOCATION BY SCANNING AN OPTICAL CODE" filed on Aug. 19, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,234, issued Jun. 1, 2004, which is a Continuation-in-Part of the following two U.S. Patent Applications: Ser. No. 09/151,471 (entitled "METHOD FOR INTERFACING SCANNED PRODUCT INFORMATION WITH A SOURCE FOR THE PRODUCT OVER A GLOBAL NETWORK," now abandoned and Ser. No. 09/151,530 entitled "METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A COMPUTER WITH AN AUDIO SIGNAL," now U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,106, issued Aug. 1, 2000, both filed on Sep. 11, 1998.
This invention is related to a portable scanner used for automating purchasing transactions of one or more articles of commerce. More particularly, the user scans the article which facilitates retrieval of product and credit information from over a communication network to complete the purchase of the article of commerce.
With the growing numbers of computer users connecting to the "Internet," many companies are seeking the substantial commercial opportunities presented by such a large user base. For example, one technology which exists allows a television ("TV") signal to trigger a computer response in which the consumer will be guided to a personalized web page. The source of the triggering signal may be a TV, video tape recorder, or radio. For example, if a viewer is watching a TV program in which an advertiser offers viewer voting, the advertiser may transmit a unique signal within the television signal which controls a program known as a "browser" on the viewer's computer to automatically display the advertiser's web page. The viewer then simply makes a selection which is then transmitted back to the advertiser.
In order to provide the viewer with the capability of responding to a wide variety of companies using this technology, a database of company information and Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") codes is necessarily maintained in the viewer's computer, requiring continuous updates. URLs are short strings of data that identify resources on the Internet: documents, images, downloadable files, services, electronic mailboxes, and other resources. URLs make resources available under a variety of naming schemes and access methods such as HTTP, FTP, and Internet mail, addressable in the same simple way. URLs reduce the tedium of "login to this server, then issue this magic command . . . " down to a single click. The Internet uses URLs to specify the location of files on other servers. A URL includes the type of resource being accessed (e.g., Web, gopher, FTP), the address of the server, and the location of the file. The URL can point to any file on any networked computer. Current technology requires the viewer to perform periodic updates to obtain the most current URL database. This aspect of the current technology is cumbersome since the update process requires downloading information to the viewer's computer. Moreover, the likelihood for error in performing the update, and the necessity of redoing the update in the event of a later computer crash, further complicates the process. Additionally, current technologies are limited in the number of companies which may be stored in the database. This is a significant limitation since world-wide access presented by the Internet and the increasing number of companies connecting to perform on-line E-commerce necessitates a large database.
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a method for initiating and completing a commercial transaction to allow a user to acquire and own an article of commerce having associated therewith a machine resolvable code (MRC), the MRC having encoded therein information relating to the article of commerce, the user having unique identification information associated with the user. The MRC is first recognized and a representation of at least a portion of the MRC containing at least a representation of the encoded information from the MRC is stored in a temporary buffer. The unique identification information is then associated with the user that allows a retail processing system to uniquely identify the user. The stored representation of the MRC and the unique identification information is transferred to the retail processing system and then ownership of the article of commerce is transferred from an entity other than the user to the user to complete the transaction.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings in which:
Referring now to
On the receive side of the system, a conventional receiver 110, such as a television is provided. This television provides a speaker output which provides the user with an audible signal. This is typically associated with the program. However, the receiver 110 in the disclosed embodiment, also provides an audio output jack, this being the type RCA jack. This jack is utilized to provide an audio output signal on a line 113 which is represented by an audio signal 111. This line 113 provides all of the audio that is received over the communication link 108 to the PC 112 in the audio input port on the PC 112. However, it should be understood that, although a direct connection is illustrated from the receiver 110 to the PC 112, there actually could be a microphone pickup at the PC 112 which could pick the audio signal up. In the disclosed embodiment, the audio signal generated by the advertiser data input device 100 is audible to the human ear and, therefore, can be heard by the user. Therefore, no special filters are needed to provide this audio to the PC 112.
The PC 112 is operable to run programs thereon which typically are stored in a program file area 116. These programs can be any type of programs such as word processing programs, application programs, etc. In the disclosed embodiment, the program that is utilized in the system is what is referred to as a "browser." The PC 112 runs a browser program to facilitate the access of information on the network, for example, a global communication network known as the "Internet" or the World-Wide-Web ("Web"). The browser is a hypertext-linked application used for accessing information. Hypertext is a term used to describe a particular organization of information within a data processing system, and its presentation to a user. It exploits the computer's ability to link together information from a wide variety of sources to provide the user with the ability to explore a particular topic. The traditional style of presentation used in books employs an organization of the information which is imposed upon it by limitations of the medium, namely fixed sized, sequential paper pages. Hypertext systems, however, use a large number of units of text or other types of data such as image information, graphical information, video information, or sound information, which can vary in size. A collection of such units of information is termed a hypertext document, or where the hypertext documents employ information other than text, hypermedia documents. Multimedia communications may use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"), and files or formatted data may use the Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML"). This formatting language provides for a mingling of text, graphics, sound, video, and hypertext links by "tagging" a text document using HTML. Data encoded using HTML is often referred to as an "HTML document," an "HTML page," or a "home page." These documents and other Internet resources may be accessed across the network by means of a network addressing scheme which uses a locator referred to as a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"), for example, "http://www.digital.com."
The Internet is one of the most utilized networks for interconnecting distributed computer systems and allows users of these computer systems to exchange data all over the world. Connected to the Internet are many private networks, for example, corporate or commercial networks. Standard protocols, such as the Transport Control Protocol ("TCP") and the Internet Protocol ("IP") provide a convenient method for communicating across these diverse networks. These protocols dictate how data are formatted and communicated. As a characteristic of the Internet, the protocols are layered in an IP stack. At higher levels of the IP stack, such as the application layer (where HTTP is employed), the user information is more readily visible, while at lower levels, such as the network level (where TCP/IP are used), the data can merely be observed as packets or a stream of rapidly moving digital signals. Superimposed on the Internet is a standard protocol interface for accessing Web resources, such as servers, files, Web pages, mail messages, and the like. One way that Web resources can be accessed is by browsers made by Netscape� and Microsoft Internet Explorer�.
Referring again now to
By utilizing the system described herein with respect to the disclosed embodiment of
Referring now to
This appended data, in addition to other control codes, is inserted directly into the web browser application for automatic routing to the communication network. The web browser running on PC 204, and communicating to the network with an internal modem 208, in this embodiment, transmits the advertiser information to the remote server. The remote server cross-references the advertiser product information to the address of the advertiser server located on the network. The address of the advertiser server is routed back through the PC 204 web browser to the advertiser server. The advertiser product information is returned to PC 204 to be presented to the viewer on display 118. In this particular embodiment, the particular advertiser product information displayed is contained within the advertiser's web page 212. As mentioned above, the audio signal is audible to the human ear. Therefore the audio signal, as emitted from the TV speakers, may be input to the sound card 206 via a microphone. Furthermore, the audio signal need not be a real-time broadcast, but may be on video tapes, CDs, DVD, or other media which may be displayed at a later date. With the imminent implementation of high definition digital television, the audio signal output from the TV may also be digital. Therefore, direct input into a sound card for A/D purposes may not be necessary, but alternative interfacing techniques to accommodate digital-to-digital signal formats would apply.
Referring now to
The information transactions, in general, which occur between the networked systems of this embodiment, over the communication network, are the following. The web browser running on source PC 302 transmits a message packet to the ARS 308 over Path "A." The ARS 308 decodes the message packet and performs a cross-reference function with product information extracted from the received message packet to obtain the address of an advertiser server 312. A new message packet is assembled comprising the advertiser server 312 address, and sent back to the source PC 302 over Path "B." A "handoff" operation is performed whereby the source PC 302 browser simply reroutes the information on to the advertiser server 312 over Path "C," with the appropriate source and destination address appended. The advertiser server 312 receives and decodes the message packet. The request-for-advertiser-product-information is extracted and the advertiser 312 retrieves the requested information from its database for transmission back to the source PC 302 over Path "D." The source PC 302 then processes the information, i.e., for display to the viewer. The optional Path "E" is discussed hereinbelow. It should be noted that the disclosed methods are not limited to only browser communication applications, but may accommodate, with sufficient modifications by one skilled in the art, other communication applications used to transmit information over the Internet or communication network.
Referring now to
Upon receipt of the message packet 400 from source PC 302, ARS 308 processes the information in accordance with instructions embedded in the overhead information. The ARS 308 specifically will extract the product code information from the received packet 400 and, once extracted, will then decode this product code information. Once decoded, this information is then compared with data contained within the ARS advertiser database 310 to determine if there is a "hit." If there is no "hit" indicating a match, then information is returned to the browser indicating such. If there is a "hit," a packet 402 is assembled which comprises the address of the source PC 302, and information instructing the source PC 302 as to how to access, directly in a "handoff" operation, another location on the network, that of an advertiser server 312. This type of construction is relatively conventional with browsers such as Netscape� and Microsoft Internet Explorer� and, rather than displaying information from the ARS 308, the source PC 302 can then access the advertiser server 312. The ARS 308 transmits the packet 402 back to source PC 302 over Path "B." Referring now to
Upon receipt of the message packet 402 by the source PC 302, the message packet 402 is disassembled to obtain pertinent routing information for assembly of a new message packet 404. The web browser running on source PC 302 is now directed to obtain, over Path "C," the product information relevant to the particular advertiser server 312 location information embedded in message packet 404. Referring now to
Upon receipt of the message packet 404 from source PC 302, advertiser server 312 disassembles the message packet 404 to obtain the request-for-product-information data. The advertiser server 312 then retrieves the particular product information from its database, and transmits it over Path "D" back to the source PC 302. Referring now to
Optionally, the ARS 308 may make a direct request for product information over Path "E" to advertiser server 312. In this mode, the ARS 308 sends information to the advertiser server 312 instructing it to contact the source PC 302. This, however, is unconventional and requires more complex software control. The message packet 408 for this transaction is illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The audio information is then routed to a PC 906, which is similar to the PC 112 in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The ARS 308, which basically constitutes the PC 1004 of
The associated ID 1304 that is transmitted along with the routing information in primary routing information 904 is then compared with the profile database 1308 to determine if a profile associated therewith is available. This information is stored in a transaction database 1310 such that, at a later time, for each routing code received in the form of the information in primary routing information 904, there will associated therewith the IDs 1304 of each of the PCs 906. The associated profiles in database 1308, which are stored in association with IDs 1304, can then be assembled and transmitted to a subscriber as referenced by a subscriber node 1312 on the network 910. The ARS 308 can do this in two modes, a realtime mode or a non-realtime mode. In a realtime mode, each time a PC 906 accesses the advertiser database 310, that user's profile information is uploaded to the subscriber node 1312. At the same time, billing information is generated for that subscriber 1312 which is stored in a billing database 1316. Therefore, the ARS 308 has the ability to inform the subscriber 1312 of each transaction, bill for those transactions, and also provide to the subscriber 1312 profile information regarding who is accessing the particular product advertisement having associated therewith the routing information field 904 for a particular routing code as described hereinabove. This information, once assembled, can then be transmitted to the subscriber 1312 and also be reflected in billing information and stored in the billing information database 1316.
Referring now to
Once all of the information is collected, in either the basic mode or the more specific mode, the program will then flow to a function block 1412 where this information is stored locally. The program then flows to a decision block 1414 to then go on-line to the host or the ARS 308. In general, the user is prompted to determine whether he or she wants to send this information to the host at the present time or to send it later. If he or she selects the "later" option, the program will flow to a function block 1415 to prompt the user at a later time to send the information. In the disclosed embodiment, the user will not be able to utilize the software until the profile information is sent to the host. Therefore, the user may have to activate this at a later time in order to connect with the host.
If the user has selected the option to upload the profile information to the host, the program will flow to the function block 1416 to initiate the connect process and then to a decision block 1418 to determine if the connection has been made. If not, the program will flow along a "N" path to a decision block 1420 which will timeout to an error block 1422 or back to the input of the connect decision block 1418. The program, once connected, will then flow along a "Y" path from decision block 1418 to a function block 1428 to send the profile information with the ID of the computer or user to the host. The ID is basically, as described hereinabove, a "cookie" in the computer which is accessed by the program when transmitting to the host. The program will then flow to a function block 1430 to activate the program such that it, at later time, can operate without requiring all of the setup information. In general, all of the operation of this flowchart is performed with a "wizard" that steps the user through the setup process. Once complete, the program will flow to a Done block 1432.
Referring now to
The profile information can be transmitted back to the subscriber or manufacturer at the node 312 in realtime or non-realtime. A decision block 1512 is provided for this, which determines if the delivery is realtime. If realtime, the program will flow along a "Y" path to a function block 1514 wherein the information will be immediately forwarded to the manufacturer or subscriber. The program will then flow to a function block 1516 wherein the billing for that particular manufacturer or subscriber will be updated in the billing database 1316. The program will then flow into an End block 1518. If it was non-realtime, the program moves along the "N" path to a function block 1520 wherein it is set for a later delivery and it is accrued in the transaction database 1310. In any event, the transaction database 1310 will accrue all information associated with a particular routing code.
With a realtime transaction, it is possible for a manufacturer to place an advertisement in a magazine or to place a product on a shelf at a particular time. The manufacturer can thereafter monitor the times when either the advertisements are or the products are purchased. Of course, they must be scanned into a computer which will provide some delay. However, the manufacturer can gain a very current view of how a product is moving. For example, if a cola manufacturer were to provide a promotional advertisement on, for example, television, indicating that a new cola was going to be placed on the shelf and that the first 1000 purchasers, for example, scanning their code into the network would receive some benefit, such as a chance to win a trip to some famous resort in Florida or some other incentive, the manufacturer would have a very good idea as to how well the advertisement was received. Further, the advertiser would know where the receptive markets were. If this advertiser, for example, had placed the television advertisement in ten cities and received overwhelming response from one city, but very poor response from another city, he would then have some inclination to believe that either one poor-response city was not a good market or that the advertising medium he had chosen was very poor. Since the advertiser can obtain a relatively instant response and also content with that response as to the demographics of the responder, very important information can be obtained in a relatively short time.
It should be noted that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to a single source PC 302, but may encompass a large number of source computers connected over a global communication network. Additionally, the embodiment is not limited to a single ARS 308 or a single advertiser server 312, but may include a plurality of ARS and advertiser systems, indicated by the addition of ARS 314 and advertiser server A 316, respectively. It should also be noted that this embodiment is not limited only to global communication networks, but also may be used with LAN, WAN, and peer-to-peer configurations.
It should also be noted that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to a personal computer, but is also applicable to, for example, a Network Computer ("NetPC"), a scaled-down version of the PC, or any system which accommodates user interaction and interfaces to information resources.
One typical application of the above noted technique is for providing a triggering event during a program, such as a sport event. In a first example, this may be generated by an advertiser. One could imagine that, due to the cost of advertisements in a high profile sports program, there is a desire to utilize this time wisely. If, for example, an advertiser contracted for 15 seconds worth of advertising time, they could insert within their program a tone containing the routing information. This routing information can then be output to the user PC 302 which will cause the user PC 302 to, via the network, obtain information from a remote location typically controlled by the advertiser. This could be in the form of an advertisement of a length longer than that contracted for. Further, this could be an interactive type of advertisement. An important aspect to the type of interaction between the actual broadcast program with the embedded routing information and the manufacturer's site is the fact that there is provided information as to the user PC 302 and a profile of the user themselves. Therefore, an advertiser can actually gain realtime information as to the number of individuals that are watching their particular advertisement and also information as to the background of those individuals, profile information, etc. This can be a very valuable asset to an advertiser.
In another example, the producer of the program, whether it be an on-air program, a program embedded in a video tape, CD-ROM, DVD, or a cassette, can allow the user to automatically access additional information that is not displayed on the screen. For example, in a sporting event, various statistics can be provided to the user from a remote location, merely by the viewer watching the program. When these statistics are provided, the advertiser can be provided with profile information and background information regarding the user. This can be important when, for example, the user may record a sports program. If the manufacturer sees that this program routing code is being output from some device at a time later than the actual broadcast itself, this allows the advertisers to actually see that their program is still being used and also what type of individual is using it. Alternatively, the broadcaster could determine the same and actually bill the advertiser an additional sum for a later broadcast. This is all due to the fact that the routing information automatically, through a PC and a network, will provide an indication to the advertiser the time at which the actual information was broadcast.
The different type of medium that can be utilized with the above embodiment are such things as advertisements, which are discussed hereinabove, contests, games, news programs, education, coupon promotional programs, demonstration media (demos), and photographs, all of which can be broadcast on a private site or a public site. This all will provide the ability to allow realtime interface with the network and the remote location for obtaining the routed information and also allow for realtime billing and accounting.
Referring now to
After obtaining the keystroke automator 1600 from the keystroke automator distributor, the user connects the keystroke automator 1600 to their PC 302. During a scanning operation, keystroke automator 1600 reads MRC data 1606 and the keystroke automator ID into a "wedge" interface 1608 for conversion into keyboard data, which keyboard data is passed therefrom into the keyboard input port of PC 302. The importance of the keystroke automator ID will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow.
The wedge interface 1608 is simply an interface box containing circuitry that accommodates inputs from both the keystroke automator 1600 and a computer keyboard 1610. This merely allows the information scanned by the keystroke automator 1600 to be input into the PC 302. In the disclosed embodiment, the wedge interface 1608 will convert any information. The data output from the keystroke automator 1600 is passed into the wedge interface 1608 for conversion into keyboard data which is readily recognizable by the PC 302. Therefore, the keystroke automator 1600 is not required to be connected to a separate port on the PC 302. This data is recognized as a sequence of keystrokes. However, the output of the keystroke automator 1600 can be input in any manner compatible with the PC 302. When not receiving keystroke automator data, the wedge interface 1608 simply acts as a pass-through device for keyboard data from the keyboard 1610. In any case, the information is ultimately processed by a processor in the PC 302 and can be presented to the user on a display 1612. The wedge interface 1608 is operable to provide a decoding function for the MRC 1606 and conversion thereof to keystroke input data.
In operation, the product code of a product is provided in the form of a MRC 1606. This MRC 1606 is the "link" to a product. The disclosed embodiment is operable to connect that product information contained in the MRC 1606 with a web page of the manufacturer of that product by utilizing the MRC 1606 as the product "identifier." The program operating on the PC 302 provides routing information to the ARS 308 after launching the browser on the PC 302 and connecting to the ARS 308 over the GCN 306, which ARS 308 then performs the necessary steps to cause the browser to connect to the manufacturer web site, while also providing for an accounting step, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow.
The MRC 1606 by itself is incompatible with any kind of network for the purposes of communication therewith. It is primarily provided for a retail-type setting. Therefore, the information contained in the MRC 1606, by itself, does not allow for anything other than identification of a product, assuming that one has a database 1614 containing information as to a correlation between the product and the MRC 1606.
The wedge interface 1608 is operable to decode the MRC 1606 to extract the encoded information therein, and append to that decoded MRC information relating to an ID for the keystroke automator 1600. This information is then forwarded to the ARS 308 by the resident program in the PC 302. This is facilitated by intermediate routing information stored in the program indicating to which node on the GCN 306 the scanned MRC information is to be sent, i.e., to the ARS 308. It is important to note that the information in the MRC 1606 must be converted from its optical image to numerical values which are then ultimately input to the keyboard input port of PC 302 and converted into data compatible with communication software residing on the PC 302 (in this case, HTML language for insertion into a browser program). When the scanned information is input to the PC 302, the resident program launches the browser program and then assembles a communication packet comprised of the URL of the ARS 308, the keystroke automator ID and the user ID. If another type of communications program were utilized, then it would have to be converted into language compatible with that program. Of course, a user could actually key in the information on the MRC 1606 and then append the appropriate intermediate routing information thereafter. As will be described hereinbelow, the intermediate routing information appended thereto is the URL of the ARS 308 disposed on the GCN 306.
As part of the configuration for using the keystroke automator 1600, the PC 302 hosts keystroke automator software which is operable to interpret data transmitted from the keystroke automator 1600, and to create a message packet having the scanned product information and keystroke automator ID, routing information, and a user ID which identifies the user location of the keystroke automator 1600. The keystroke automator software loads at boot-up of the PC 302 and runs in the background. In response to receiving a scanned MRC 1606, the wedge interface 1608 outputs a keystroke code (e.g., ALT-F10) to bring the keystroke automator program into the foreground for interaction by the operating system. The keystroke automator program then inserts the necessary information into the browser program. The message packet is then transmitted to interface 304 across the global communication network 306 to the ARS 308. The ARS 308 interrogates the message packet and performs a lookup function using the ARS database 310. If a match is found between particular parameters of the message packet, a return message packet is sent back to the PC 302 for processing.
The keystroke automator program running on PC 302 functions to partition the browser window displayed to the user into several individual areas. This is for the purpose of preparing to present to the user selected information in each of the individual areas (also called "framing"). The selected information comprises the product information which the user requested by scanning the MRC 1606 using the keystroke automator 1600, information about the keystroke automator distributor which establishes the identity of the company associated with that particular keystroke automator 1600, and at least one or more other frames which may be advertisements related to other products that the keystroke automator distributor sells. Note that the advertisements displayed by the keystroke automator distributor may be related to the product of interest or totally unrelated. For example, if a user scans the MRC 1606 of a soda of Company A, the keystroke automator distributor may generate an advertisement of a new soft drink being marketed by Company A, that it sells. On the other hand, the keystroke automator distributor may also structure the display of information to the user such that a user requesting product information of a Product X may get the requested information of Product X along with advertisements for a competing item Product Y. Essentially, the keystroke automator distributor is free to generate any advertisement to the user in response to the user requesting product information.
The return message packet transmitted from the ARS 308 to the PC 302 is then transmitted back across the GCN 306 to the advertiser server 312. The advertiser server 312 restructures the message packet and appends the particular product information for transmission back to the PC 302. Upon receiving the particular advertiser information from advertiser server 312, the PC 302 then retransmits a message to the keystroke automator distributor site 1616 and E-commerce site 1618 to obtain the information that needs to be framed in the browser window displayed to the user.
Therefore, the keystroke automator 1600 is associated with the keystroke automator distributor by way of the keystroke automator ID such that scanning a product MRC 1606 in order to obtain information about that particular product generates one or more responses from one or more remote sites disposed on the GCN 306. Stored in the keystroke automator 1600 is the keystroke automator ID which establishes its relationship to the keystroke automator distributor. Proprietary keystroke automator software running on the PC 302 operates to decode scanned MRC information and the keystroke automator ID received from the keystroke automator 1600 and wedge interface 1608, and also provides a unique user ID for establishing the location of the user of the keystroke automator 1600. The keystroke automator software also assembles message packets and works in conjunction with the onboard communication software (e.g., a browser) to automatically route the message packets across the GCN 306 such that the one or more remote sites disposed on the GCN 306 return information to be framed for presentation to the user.
Referring now to
The microcontroller 1700 performs this function after decoding this MRC information, and conversion of this MRC information into an appropriate stream of data which is comprised of the MRC information and the appended URL. This appended URL will be pre-stored in the memory 1702 and is programmable at the time of manufacture. It is noted that the memory 1702 is illustrated as being contained within the microcontroller 1702 to provide a single chip solution. However, this could be external memory that is accessible by the microcontroller 1702. Therefore, the microcontroller 1700 provides an interface between the keystroke automator 1600 and the keyboard 1610 to the PC 302 which allows the keystroke automator 1600 to receive coded information and convert it to keyboard strokes or, alternatively, to merely pass-through the keystrokes from the keyboard 1610. Therefore, the user need not install any type of plug-in circuit board into the motherboard of the PC 302 in order to provide an interface to the keystroke automator 1600; rather, the user need only utilize the already available keyboard port in order to input the appropriate data into the system.
In this particular disclosed embodiment, the microcontroller 1700 comprises a PIC16C73 microcontroller by Microchip Technologies™. The PIC16C73 device is a low cost CMOS 8-bit microcontroller with an integrated analog-to-digital converter. The PIC16C73 device, as illustrated in the disclosed embodiment, has 192 bytes of RAM and 4 k�4 of EPROM memory. The microcontroller 1700 can accommodate asynchronous or synchronous inputs from input devices connected to it. In this disclosed embodiment, communication to the keyboard 1610 is synchronous while it is asynchronous when communicating with keystroke automator 1600.
It should be noted that, although in this particular embodiment MRC information of the MRC 1606 is input into the keyboard input port of the PC 302, disclosed methods may also be advantageously utilized with high speed port architectures such as Universal Serial Bus ("USB") and IEEE 1394.
MRCs (e.g., bar codes) can be structured to be read in either direction. Timing considerations need to be addressed because of the variety of individuals scanning the MRC introduce a wide variety of scan rates. Bar codes use bars of varying widths. The presence of a black bar generates a positive pulse, and the absence of a black bar generates no pulse. Each character of a conventional bar code has associated therewith seven pulses or bars. Depending on the width of the bars, the time between pulses varies. In this disclosed embodiment, the interface circuitry 1608 performs a "running" calculation of the scan time based upon the rising edge of the pulses commencing with the leader or header information. The minimum and maximum scans times are calculated continuously in software with the interface 1608 during the scanning process to ensure a successful scan by the user.
Referring now to
Referring now to
It can be appreciated that other information can also be provided by the ARS 308 which more closely targets the particular user of the keystroke automator 1600. For example, if it is known that a particular keystroke automator 1600 is sold in a certain geographic area, this information can be useful in targeting the particular user with certain advertising information relevant to that geographic area. In any case, the information returned from the ARS 308 over path 1902 provides enough information for the keystroke automator program running on the user PC 302 to identify a number of other sites disposed on the GCN 306. The user PC 302 then processes the return message packet and routes another message packet over a path 1904 to the advertiser server 312. The advertiser server 312 then returns product information of the particular product in which the user was interested back to the user PC 302 over a path 1906. Similarly, the user PC 302 routes information (e.g., the URL of the keystroke automator distributor site and the user profile) to the keystroke automator distributor site 1616 over a path 1908 in order to obtain information back over a path 1910 for framing any banners which identify the keystroke automator distributor. Additionally, the user PC 302 forwards a message packet to the E-commerce site 1618 over a path 1912 in order to return information regarding any particular advertisements the keystroke automator distributor wants to display to the user. The advertisements are returned to the PC 302 over a path 1914.
Referring now to
Referring now to
It can be appreciated that there may be a number of distributors using the disclosed architecture such that each distributor has an ID embedded in the keystroke automator 1600 which uniquely identifies that keystroke automator with the particular distributor. Therefore, the unique keystroke automator ID 1804 needs to be listed with the respective distributors of that keystroke automator 1600 in order to process the information that needs to be framed and displayed to that particular user. Another heading under the ARS database structure 2100 is a user heading 2106 which contains profile information associated with that particular user ID 1806. As mentioned hereinabove, the user ID 1806 is obtained via the keystroke automator software running on the PC 302 and upon installation or subsequent configuration may request that the user input certain profile information which may be used to target that particular user with products and services which identify with that user profile. The ARS database structure 2100 also contains an E-commerce heading 2108 which contains information related to the MRC 1606 and an advertisement that may be triggered by the request for that information. For example, any MRC 1606 associated with a paper source1602 can be associated with the specific information in the ARS database 310. A user wishing to obtain information about a specific soft drink may, in fact, trigger an advertising response of a competitor product. Similarly, the user interested in information about that particular soft drink may also trigger information which is relevant to that particular product or a product which may normally be served in conjunction with that soft drink. Furthermore, if the user profile indicates that this individual has significant interest in finance or insurance, the request for information regarding this particular MRC product may trigger advertisement from an E-commerce server 1618 related to information about finance and insurance. It should be noted that the information described as contained within the ARS database structure 2100 is not limited to what has been described, but may comprise any number of pieces of information used to present desired information to the computer display of the user.
Referring now to
After the keystroke automator software partitions the browser window into one or more frames in preparation of receipt of return information, flow moves to a decision block 2206 where the computer waits for information to be returned from the various sites disposed on the GCN 306. If information is not returned, flow moves out the "N" path and simply loops back to the input to continue monitoring for receipt of the information. If information has been received, flow moves out the "Y" path to a function block 2208 where routing information for each frame (or partitioned area of the window 2000) is inserted into one or more packets for transmission to the various sites. The various sites then return the requested information back to the PC 302, as indicated in function block 2210. Flow is then to a function block 2212 where the proprietary software working in conjunction with the hosted browser places the returned information into the respective frames of the window. The user, viewing the display at PC 302, then perceives a variety of information, one of which is the particular product information which he or she requested, in addition to keystroke automator distributor information, and possibly other advertisements based upon the user's profile.
Referring now to
Referring back to decision block 2306, if the keystroke automator ID 1804 is determined to be invalid, flow moves out the "N" path and jumps forward to the input of decision block 2314, since the lack of a keystroke automator ID 1804 interrupts the link to any advertising provided by the E-commerce server 1618. At this point, the only information provided is the link to the advertiser server 312 for return of product information. Referring now to decision block 2310, if no E-commerce information is available, flow moves out the "N" path and jumps forward to the input of function block 2314 where the message packet back to the PC 302 contains only the URL of the advertiser server 312, the MRC information, the distributor server 1616 address and keystroke automator ID 1804 information.
Referring now to
Automated Transaction Using a Portable Scanner
Referring now to
The user is now free to roam around the store to make purchases by scanning any one of a number of MRCs 2504 associated with the respective articles of commerce 2502. Alternatively, the user may look through catalogs of products having articles of commerce 2502 contained therein and associated MRCs which can be scanned by the scanner 2500 of the user. When the user has completed the selection process, the user then transmits the MRC data 2504 of the purchased articles of commerce 2502 by pressing a transmit button 2506 located on the portable scanner 2500. The transmitted data is received by a receiver 2508 connected to a PC (or POS—Point of Sale) system 2510. The scanner ID is then extracted from the transmitted data and used to retrieve the associated user ID from a local database 2512 (or a database at some other location). Both the MRC data and the user ID are then assembled into a message packet and transmitted (in accordance with appended routing information which indicates the network address of the destination server) through a network interface 2514 across the GCN 306 through an account reference server (ARS) 2516. (The account reference server 2516 is similar in function and operation to the advertiser reference server 308.)
The ARS 2516 has associated therewith an ARS database 2518 which contains all the user account and personal information previously entered during registration and other information which will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow. After the user ID and selected MRCs are transmitted to the ARS 2516, an operation is performed with the ARS database 2518 to obtain information related to the vendors of the articles of commerce 2502 having the respective MRCs 2504, and the user credit account information. For example, the user ID is used to obtain a match with one or more credit card company network URL addresses associated with credit accounts of the user. The MRCs are used to obtain a match with respective network URL addresses of vendor web servers (also disposed on the GCN 306) having information about of the respective articles of commerce 2502 having the respective MRCs 2504.
When an MRC 2504 obtains a match, in the ARS database 2518, the URL address of a vendor server 2520 is returned to the PC/POS 2510. In turn, the PC/POS 2510 then connects to the vendor server 2520 and causes the vendor server 2520 to access an associated database 2522 to return a web page of the product information for presentation on the display 1612 of the PC/POS 2510. At or near the same time, the user ID is used to obtain a match of a URL network address of a credit card company web server in the ARS database 2518 such that the credit card company URL causes the ARS 2516 to connect to a credit card account server 2524 to perform verification of credit account information of the user for the present purchase. If the particular credit card account funds are sufficient to handle the current purchase, the credit card account 2524 then routes information to the vendor server 2520 to complete the transaction. On the other hand, if the credit card account server 2524 determines that the credit of the user is insufficient for the current transaction, a message is sent back to the ARS 2516 such that the ARS 2516 then accesses a second entry of credit card company network address of the user from the ARS database 2518 causing the ARS 2516 to access a second credit card account server 2526 to provide similar verification of sufficient funds for the current transaction.
As the product information is being displayed to the user at PC/POS 2510, the user may be offered a confirmation selection in order to confirm or deny the purchase of the particular product. Alternatively, the purchase may be confirmed as soon as the individual transmits the scanned product information from the portable scanner 2500 to the POS/PC system 2510 in which the user is now not offered the option of affirming or denying a particular purchase.
Similarly, where implemented, a second MRC match is performed using the ARS database 2518 in order to obtain a network URL of a vendor of that respective article of commerce 2502 such that the ARS 2516 is then routed to a second vendor server 2528 in accordance with the retrieved vendor URL of the respective MRC. The second vendor server 2528 has associated therewith a database 2530 which supports its various product information and accounts. Therefore, as that particular MRC is being processed, the vendor server 2528 returns product information to the PC/POS 2510 for display to the user. Alternatively, none of the vendor servers need to return information for display to the user at the PC/POS 2510 such that all the user views is a message indicating that transactions are being processed. In accordance with the purchase of this second MRC 2504 related to an article of commerce 2502, the same credit card network transactions occur according to the first credit card or the second credit card (or further credit cards) based on sufficient funds to transact the purchase of the respective article of commerce 2502.
Upon completion of the transactions, the user then may be notified that the articles are being shipped via a common carrier (e.g., UPS, FEDEX) or the store may be operable to provide the purchased products to the user at a time prior to the user departing the store. It can be appreciated that the store need not be of a kiosk-type which offers a wide variety of products from various manufacturers, for example, clothing, food products, furniture, etc., but may be a chain store which handles only products it manufactures. In this scenario, only a single vendor server may be necessary as it contains all of the products manufactured by that particular company, and the information associated therewith.
Referring now to
Therefore, when the user transmits the MRC data and scanner ID from the portable scanner 2500, a matching operation is performed using the user ID and the MRC information on the local database 2512 to obtain the respective network addresses of the vendor servers (2520 and 2528) and credit card server (2524 and 2526). The return product information is then displayed to the user via the display 1612 connected to the PC/POS 2510 (if so desired). The keyboard 1610 is provided in both
Referring now to
In a function block 2706, the user scans the MRC 2504 attached to the article of commerce 2502 which the user wants to buy. Flow is then to a decision block 2708 where the user determines if he or she is finished purchasing any more articles of commerce 2502. If not, flow is out the "N" path to the input of a function block 2706 where the user continues to scan other MRCs of articles of commerce 2502 selected for purchase. On the other hand, if the user has finished the purchase process, flow is out the "Y" path of decision block 2708 to another decision block 2710 where the user determines if he or she wishes to delete any of the selected products for purchase. If so, flow is out the "Y" path to a function block 2712 where the user may then selectively delete any of the selections previously made by viewing stored MRCs via a small alphanumeric display, which can be incorporated into the scanner 2500. In lieu of the alphanumeric display, it the user knows that the third MRC scanned is the one to be deleted, an LED indicator could be used by flashing three times when the user has scrolled to the third MRC in memory. The user could then press one or a combination of buttons to delete the third MRC. Similarly, one or more audio signals could sound when the corresponding MRC register has been accessed. If user chooses not to delete any of the selected articles of purchase, flow is out the "N" path of decision block 2710 to a function block 2714 where the user then transmits the selected purchases to the PC/POS 2510. The user will then simply obtain a receipt for the selected purchases or may choose not to obtain a receipt, as indicated in a function block 2716. Flow is then to a function block 2718 where the user then returns the scanner 2500 to the store and the process ends.
Referring now to
If data has been received, flow is out the "Y" path of decision block 2808 to a function block 2810 where the PC/POS 2510 extracts the scanner ID data. Flow is then to a function block 2812 where the scanner ID is used in a matching operation on the PC/POS database 2512 to obtain the associated user ID. Flows is then to a function block 2814 where the purchase is processed, which purchasing process will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow on a subsequent flowchart. Flow is then to a function block 2816 where the user is issued a receipt, if requested, detailing the particular purchases. This completes the commercial transaction. Flow continues to a function block 2818 where the user returns the scanner 2500 and the scanner ID is disassociated from the user ID and user account information. Flow is then to a stopping point.
Referring now to
Flow is then to a function block 2904 where the MRCs of the articles of commerce 2502 which the user selected for purchase are used to obtain matching vendor URL network addresses for corresponding vendor servers also disposed on the GCN 306. Flow is then to a function block 2906 where a vendor product web page is returned for display to the user on the display 1612 of the PC/POS 2510. As noted hereinabove, the product information need not be displayed to the user on the display 1612, but may simply be ignored or not provided at all. However, at this point, it can be implemented where the user can either affirm or deny selection of a product by the vendor also providing a button on the graphical user interface of the PC/POS 2510 which allows the user to either affirm or deny purchase of the respective article of commerce 2502. Flow is then to a function block 2908 where the user credit card information obtained from the matching operation is transmitted to the respective credit card company web account server 2524. Flow is to a decision block 2910 to determine if the user has enough credit with the credit card company to pay for the selected purchase. If not, flow is out the "N" path to a function block 2912 where the next credit card listed in the user account information is selected and accessed to determine if sufficient credit exists for the selected purchase. The flow then loops back into the input of the function block 2908 to transmit the user credit account information to the second credit card web account server 2526 to determine if there is sufficient credit to make the purchase.
On the other hand, if there is sufficient credit to make the purchase, flow is out the "Y" path of decision block 2910 to a function block 2914 where the credit card account information is then transferred to the respective vendor web account server (e.g., 2524 or 2526) associated with the particular MRC 2504 of the article of commerce 2502 being purchased. Flow is then to a function block 2916 indicating that all purchase transactions have now been completed. Flow continues to a function block 2918 where the vendor can either ship the articles to the user's address as provided in the personal account information, or the user can be provided with the purchased of articles of commerce 2502 at the store in which the selections were made. Flow is then into an End point.
Referring now to
The read indicator 3008 is utilized to indicate that a code has successfully been read. Typically, the scanning operation may not have accurately read the code due to missing information. A code is deemed "read" when both the start portion of the code and the end portion of the code are accurately detected and sufficient data in between the start and stop indicator is sufficiently read. This is all achieved through a decoding operation of the bar code including the type of information retrieved therefrom. Once read, this indicates to the user that the code has been read and stored in the memory 3002. This can then later be transferred as described hereinabove.
After completing the scanning of all articles of commerce 2502 selected for purchase, the user then depresses the transmit button 2506 which causes the CPU 3000 to retrieve the MRC data and the scanner ID data stored in the memory 3002, and pass it to a modulator 3010, which modulator 3010 prepares the data for transmission through a receiver 3012 across an antenna 3014 to a receiving antenna 3016 attached to a receiver 3018. The receiver 3018 may be assembled in conjunction with a demodulator 3020 for demodulating the modulated signal received from the scanner 2500. The demodulator 3020 and receiver 3018 also may be a unit internal to the PC/POS 2510. The display 1612 is provided with the PC/POS 2510 to display information to either an attendant or the user while the purchases are being made, or at the finality of the transaction. A battery 3024 connects to the CPU 3000 to provide power for all onboard circuits.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Notably, the portable scanner 2500 can be a personal scanner of the user such that the store does not issue the portable scanner 2500 to the user when he or she enters the store to purchase articles of commerce 2504, but instead the user brings his or her personal scanner 2500 to the store to scan articles of commerce 2504 and then carries the scanner 2500 to another location, for example, home to input or transmit the information into a computer for authorizing transactions over the GCN 306. Similarly, the user of the portable scanner 2500 can make the product or article of commerce selections at any location, storing the MRC data within the scanner 2500 and bringing the scanner 2500 to another location to facilitate purchase of the selected articles of commerce. For example, the user could bring the stored MRC data into the store for purchase after making the selections for purchase at home by viewing the product information presented to him or her from a vendor website, and then perhaps printing out product information on a local printer and scanning an associated MRC data for storage in the portable scanner 2500. Alternatively, the user can receive flyers or product information through the U.S. Postal system to his or her home with the MRC data associated therewith and then scan the MRC data for storage in the scanner 2500, and then bring the scanner 2500 to another location which accommodates the disclosed architecture for transmission and pickup of the articles of commerce or merchandise.
In another embodiment similar to the above-noted embodiments, the user can utilize the scanner in a mode wherein the user scans a single bar code or MRC and stores the decoded information therein. Immediately after scanning, the user can go to some type of kiosk for the purpose of updating his "grocery cart" for the purpose of accruing information. This kiosk can have a processing system such as a personal computer associated therewith that can wirelessly detect the information, as described hereinabove. Upon detection, the PC or processing device then emits some form of tone or visual indication to the user indicating that the transfer was complete. The display could even display the information about the product to the user, if the user so desired. However, once the user transmits the information by depressing the transmit button 2506, the commercial transaction is complete, i.e., the user has purchased the item. In this way, the user has the ability to form the functions of scan, transmit and buy, such that the completion of the commercial transaction is the result of an active operation on the part of the user of transmitting the scanned information to a receiving device.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Legal Events
Original Image


text:
Quick Links
Shop All Jewelry
NL10976 In Stock Absolutely No Delay on Personalization!
Eve's Addiction is proud to present an ornate dog tag with our new Designer Inspired Engravable Onyx Dog Tag Necklace. The dog tag has a center of onyx with an edge of intriguing interlocking stainless steel patter. The back of the ornate black dog tag lies flat and can be engraved with a personal message, including a name or initials. This style is suitable for both men and women and is delivered with a 18, 20, 24, or 36 inch black bead chain of your choice.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rent and food costs up, but gas drops in DecemberBy CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER
The Associated Press | January 17,2013WASHINGTON Lower gas costs offset more expensive food and higher rents to keep a measure of U.S. consumer prices flat last month.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that food prices increased 0.2 percent in December from November. Rents and airline fares also rose. Gasoline prices fell a seasonally adjusted 2.3 percent.
The flat reading of the December consumer price index caps a year when inflation slowed. Consumer prices rose only 1.7 percent in 2012, down from 3 percent in 2011.
Food prices increased 1.8 percent last year, down from 4.7 percent in 2011. Gas prices rose just 1.7 percent last year. That followed annual gains of nearly 10 percent in 2011 and roughly 14 percent in 2010.
Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices ticked up just 0.1 percent in December compared with November. And core prices rose only 1.9 percent in 2012. Thats below the Federal Reserves inflation target of 2 percent. And its lower than 2011s increase of 2.2 percent.
Prices for household furniture, clothing and used cars declined in December from November.
Mild inflation leaves consumers with more money to spend, which is good for the economy. Lower inflation also makes it easier for the Fed to continue with its efforts to accelerate the economy. If the Fed were worried that prices are rising too fast, it might have to raise interest rates.
With job gains and economic growth steady but modest, many businesses are reluctant to raise prices for fear of losing customers. Thats helped keep inflation tame. Workers also arent able to demand higher wages when growth is weak. That limits their ability to pay more.
Price hikes will likely remain mild, economists say.
It remains our view that core inflation has peaked ... and will continue to drift lower in coming quarters as weak global economic activity weighs on pricing power, Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc., said in a note to clients.
Gas prices have fallen sharply in recent months after spiking this summer. Prices at the pump averaged $3.29 a gallon nationwide on Wednesday. Thats about the same as a month ago and well below summer prices that nearly touched $4 a gallon.
Prices are likely to stay low in the early months of 2013, based on a measure of wholesale prices reported Tuesday.
The producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, fell for the third straight month in December. Wholesale food prices dropped by the most in 19 months, largely because of a sharp drop in beef and veal costs. Vegetable and cheese prices also declined.
Not everything was cheaper at the wholesale level. The cost of womens and girls clothes jumped by the most in nine years. Fresh fruit prices also rose.
With inflation tame, the Fed has ramped up its efforts to boost growth. It decided last month to keep buying $85 billion a month in Treasurys and mortgage bonds in an effort to lower borrowing costs and encourage more spending.
The Fed also said last month that it planned to keep its key short-term interest rate at a record low even after unemployment falls to 6.5 percent which it said might take three more years. Unemployment remains high at 7.8 percent.MORE IN National / World BusinessGroup recognizes Full StoryNEW YORK Stocks ended the day mostly flat on Thursday, recovering from broad losses earlier in... Full StoryNEW YORK Whole Foods is feeling pinched after New York City officials found it was overcharging... Full Story
- Most Popular
- Most Emailed
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day 1739, 'Richard Palmer' identified in prison at York Castle as the notorious outlaw DICK TURPIN; IN 1836, Battle of the Alamo begins near San Antonio de Bexar, Texas; 1896, the Tootsie Roll invented by LEO HIRSCHFELD.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1472, Orkney, Shetland islands put up as collateral by Norway to Scotland in lieu of dowry for MARGARET OF DENMARK on her marriage with JAMES III, king of Scotland; 1962, JOHN GLENN first American to orbit Earth.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues; Hartford, Conn., woman still missing; Neal Goswami reports attempts to legislate suicide; local woman loses 100 pounds through TOPS program.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1878, JOHN TUNSTALL murdered near Lincoln, New Mexico, by the outlaw JESSE EVANS; in 1930, ELM FARM OLLIE first cow to fly in aircraft, first to be milked airborne; 1955, nuke test WASP; '79, snow in Sahara.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Rutland Herald News Editor Alan J. Keays and staff writer Gordon Dritschilo discuss stories planned for the February 18, 2015, edition of the newspaper: Winter budgets maxed, legal marijuana, Springfield bank job, USPS slowdown
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1249 AD, ANDRE of LONGJUMEAU is dispatched by LOUIS IX of France to meet the KHAGAN, ruler of the Mongol Empire; in 1804, during 1st Barbary War, STEPHEN DECATUR scuttles the pirate-held USS Philadelphia in Tripoli.


text:
Horse & Rider Magazine
You Might Also Like
Additional Information
About Horse & Rider
Content in the magazine is organized into the following sections: "Features," which cover a range of technique, horse care, accessory reviews, and inspirational stories; "Your Horse Your Life," a mix of lifestyle, health, horse keeping, and style articles; and "Practice Pen," comprised of lessons, training insights, and recommended activities.
Overall, Horse & Rider provides useful training advice, practical stable-management techniques, hands-on health care instruction, safe trail riding practices, informative reports on the equine industry, and behind-the-scenes looks at horse shows and other equine events.
Contemporary Western riders and horse owners would appreciate a subscription to Horse & Rider magazine!
Automatic Renewal Service:For your convenience, this publication is part of the Automatic Renewal Service. You will receive all the benefits of our automatic renewal program. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee - cancel at any time!
Create A Personal Gift Announcement Card
You will need a printer connected to the computer in order to print the Gift Announcement Card.
If you would prefer to enter your information by hand after printing, just leave these fields blank and select "Print Gift Announcement".
Other Gift Options
Gift Subscription Options
Postcard Announcement
On the Review step during checkout, you will have the option to mail a FREE postcard to the recipient announcing that a gift has been purchased for them. You schedule the date the card will be mailed; send it immediately or hold for perfect timing with a special occasion.
eGift Announcement
Perfect for the last-minute shoppers! During checkout, check the "Gift Subscription" checkbox next to the magazine you want to send as a gift and enter your gift announcement options.
Interested In More Gifts? Visit the Gift Center to discover great gift suggestions for everyone on your list.
Customer Reviews
Reviewed by 9 customers
Sort by
- Engaging Articles
- Insightful Analysis
- New Features Every Month
- Quality Photos
- Up-To-Date Content
- Well Written Articles
- Wish It Came More Often
Best Uses
I love the fact that new topics are covered in every issue rather a rehash of the same old thing.
Over all a relevant magazine for the horse enthusiast. Conformation clinic is a favorite for us.
My daughter has received this magazine for several years as part of her Christmas. She especially likes the
I think this is a very great magazine for the horse lovers out there.
I know when I was personally working with horses, Horse and Rider is the only magazine I would revert to on suggestions and ideas.
I first got hooked on Horse & Rider magazine when I was 10! Ever since, I get it every month. It is class!
I inherited a Horse & Rider magazine from a friend, and was thrilled! The pictures are really detailed, and I learn a lot from the articles. I really enjoy flipping through Horse & Rider Magazine.
The articles about training and riding in Horse & Rider are great. I can't wait every month until this magazine arrives in the mail. A must magazine for every western rider!
If I were to only read one horse related publication it would be Horse and Rider. Although I am an experienced rider I always find something in Horse and Rider that is helpful, not only to me, but for younger riders I might be working with.


text:
Buy Tickets Women's Film Preservation Fund
Show From Series
Saturday, March 22
Sunday, March 23
Monday, March 24
Tuesday, March 25
Wednesday, March 26
Thursday, March 27
Friday, March 28
Women's Film Preservation Fund
October 25, 2012
A rare, election-season screening of director Jenny Rohrer's remarkable documentary short Women's Voices: The Gender Gap about the different voting patterns of men and women. In person: Jenny Rohrer, co-producer Nancy Meyer and more! Read more »


text:
Last Modified: January 13, 2012
Pronounced: bor-TEZ-oh-mib
Classification: Proteasome Inhibitor
Bortezomib works by inhibiting the 26S proteasome. A proteasome is an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down proteins in all cells (healthy or cancerous). By blocking the action of proteasome, protein builds up in the cells and causes them to die, therefore preventing tumor growth.
Bortezomib is given directly into a vein, and the infusion takes only 3 to 5 seconds. The actual dose is based on your body size. The first "cycle" of bortezomib is given twice a week for two weeks, then 10 days without treatment. If the cancer responds to the first cycle, treatment can continue, with a dose every 7 days for 4 doses, then 13 days off from treatment. It is important to have at least 72 hours between doses; this gives healthy cells time to recover in between doses.
There are a number of things you can do to manage the side effects of Bortezomib. Talk to your doctor or nurse about these recommendations. They can help you decide what will work best for you. These are some of the most common side effects:
Your red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues in your body. When the red cell count is low, you may feel tired or weak. You should let your doctor or nurse know if you experience any shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or pain in your chest. If the count gets too low, you may receive a blood transfusion. Read the anemia tip sheet for more information.
Platelets help your blood clot, so when the count is low you are at a higher risk of bleeding. Let your doctor or nurse know if you have any excess bruising or bleeding, including nose bleeds, bleeding gums or blood in your urine or stool. If your platelet count becomes too low, you may receive a transfusion of platelets.
Read the thrombocytopenia tip sheet for more information.
White blood cells (WBC) are important for fighting infection. While receiving treatment, your WBC count can drop, putting you at a higher risk of getting an infection. You should let your doctor or nurse know right away if you have a fever (temperature greater than 100.4 F), sore throat or cold, shortness of breath, cough, burning with urination, or a sore that doesn't heal.
Tips to preventing infection:
For more suggestions, read the Neutropenia Tip Sheet.
Your oncology team can recommend medications to relieve diarrhea. Also, try eating low-fiber, bland foods, such as white rice and boiled or baked chicken. Avoid raw fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals and seeds. Soluble fiber is found in some foods that absorbs fluid and can help relieve diarrhea. Foods high in soluble fiber include: applesauce, bananas (ripe), canned fruit, orange and grapefruit sections, boiled potatoes, white rice and products made with white flour, oatmeal, cream of rice, cream of wheat, and farina. Drink 8-10 glasses on non-alcoholic, un-caffeinated fluid a day to prevent dehydration. Read Low Fiber Diet for Diarrhea for more tips.
Take anti-nausea medications as prescribed. If you continue to have nausea or vomiting, notify your doctor or nurse so they can help you manage this side effect. In addition, dietary changes may help. Avoid things that may worsen the symptoms, such as heavy or greasy/fatty, spicy or acidic foods (lemons, tomatoes, oranges). Try antacids, (e.g. milk of magnesia, calcium tablets such as Tums), saltines, or ginger ale to lessen symptoms. Read the Nausea & Vomiting Tip Sheet for more suggestions.
Call your doctor or nurse if you are unable to keep fluids down for more than 12 hours or if you feel lightheaded or dizzy at any time.
There are several things you can do to prevent or relieve constipation. Include fiber in your diet (fruits and vegetables), drink 8-10 glasses of non-alcoholic fluids a day and keep active. Your doctor or nurse can also recommend medications to relieve constipation. A stool softener or stimulant (such as senna) once or twice a day may prevent constipation. Notify your healthcare team if you do not have a bowel movement for 3 days or more.
Peripheral neuropathy is a toxicity that affects the nerves. It causes a numbness or tingling feeling in the hands and feet, often in the pattern of a stocking or glove. This can get progressively worse with additional doses of the drug. In some people, the symptoms slowly resolve after the drug is stopped, but for some it never goes away completely. You should let your healthcare provider know if you experience numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, as they may need to change the doses of your medication. See OncoLink's section on peripheral neuropathy for tips on dealing with this side effect.
Fever can occur after the dose of bortezomib is given. You should always contact your doctor if you develop a fever, as it could be related to an infection.
Your doctor or nurse can recommend medication and other strategies to relive pain. Also view OncoLink's page on pain management.
See OncoLink's section on fatigue for helpful tips on dealing with this side effect.
Visit OncoLink's section on Nutrition for tips on dealing with this side effect. Ask your nurse about nutritional counseling services.


text:
I believe the lyrics from John Lennon, So this is Christmas, is an appropriate way to start this letter.
It is the Christmas season all over the world. As I acknowledge this, I cannot help but wonder, which country and/or who are the people that keep and honor Christmas in the most fitting way? Is it The United States? Is it because we have 8 percent unemployment due in part to the fact that so many of our Christmas gifts come from other countries? Is it because our very own government cannot agree that all, I repeat, all Americans need health insurance? Is it because U.S. troops (human beings) are fighting and dying in two countries where it is highly rumored these governments are very corrupt? Is it because after more than 200 years of being a country, we still have bigotry and prejudice?
If you are like me and dont like the answers to these questions, it is not too late to make the answers more positive for the sake of our future. We have got to come to some understanding that we cannot continue to purchase almost everything that is made in other countries! We have got to understand that U.S. troops are also moms, dads, sons and daughters. Our U.S. troops need, I repeat, need to be brought home now. As for the bigotry and the denial of health insurance, I believe these go hand-in-hand. How can a society claim to be civilized when so, so many millions of our citizens are without the very necessary safety net of health insurance?
Perhaps this Christmas will be the start of better times in our country. If we all truly understand the real meaning of Christmas, we can change things for the better.
Timothy Monroe Bledsoe
North Augusta
Notice about comments:
Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.
We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.


text:
Premier League winners Chelsea are moving towards signing Brazilian left-back Alex Telles, currently of Galatasaray, according to reports on Tuesday.
With their second straight FA Cup silverware firming planted in the trophy case, does Arsenal have what it takes to
Juventus are looking to take Chelsea outcast Juan Cuadrado on loan, but the Blues are looking to offload him permanently.
Imagine if Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hades, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Demeter and Ares all occupied the same hall at
In a recent interview, Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal stated he is on the lookout for more quality to
Press Association Sport was one of a handful of media outlets invited to talk to Louis van Gaal in San Jose on Sunday night.


text:
Pope Francis: Be vigilant and stay with Jesus
Version 8 and above required to view videos
Uploaded by on Oct 11, 2013
Jesus fought against the demons. And we must, too. This was the message of Pope Francis during his homily at his daily Mass on Friday. And we can ask oursel...
Jesus Christ
0 Comments
Leave a Comment
Most Popular
YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY HEAD! - Notorious ISIS executioner 'Jihadi John' now on the run from his former bosses Read More
ISIS leader sentences a woman to be beheaded as wedding present to cruel female Sharia judge Read More
What to wear to church: What's more important, physical or inner beauty? Read More
A MIRACLE? Virgin Mary painting caught on tape moving lips along with the Lord's Prayer (VIDEO) Read More
Nuns vs. Obama: Obama Administration refuses to exempt Little Sisters of the Poor from regulation forcing them to distribute birth control Read More


text:
Archive for the 'business services' tag
Smart Approaches To Office Moving NYC
A successful relocation requires advance planning and much communication. Office moving NYC is no different from any other type of move and needs the right amount of attention. This can be especially tough if the business has set hours and requires little down time.
For example a stock brokerage firm can not afford to be down on any given weekday unless it is a legal holiday. All of these firms when needed to relocate will shut down early after the close of the market and will be open for business come Monday morning. This is the ideal situation for any business and can be reality if planned accordingly.
The cost of any kind of relocation will depend on what is entailed. Larger corporations are more likely to have professional movers to assist in these kinds of moves and some have internal help as well. This combination of assistance ensures a much more smoother experience and chances of a successful move is more probable.
Most employers like to hire seasoned movers as relocation can be a hassle. These experts know just how to make the job simpler and carefree to the clients involved and ensure a timely outcome. Constant communication is the key to any success move to ensure problem free complications.
Most successful corporations can not afford to have their operations down for long periods of time and engage in experts who can handle jobs in a timely manner. These pros know exactly what to expect and can overcome major hurdles if one should arise unexpectedly.
During the winter months, office moving NYC would be more of a challenge than normal. These kinds of weather conditions make it unfavorable for a successful move and can become more complicated if advance preparations are not made. office moving nyc
Stop by our site to find out more office moving nyc
Related articles
- Why Should You Hire Professional Commercial Movers and Office Movers (athingforcars.com)
- Office Moving Organization – A Thoroughly Skilled Help (mydecorarticles.com)
- Self Storage Facilities AndThe Various Kinds Of Moves (mydecorarticles.com)
- Katie and Suri Cruise Explore NYC While Tom Preps For Oblivion (popsugar.com)
- AlwaysLeading is the Corporate Blog Site for The Admiral Companies (intelligentarchiving.com)
- Relocating Providers Making Life A Lot Easier For Local And Overseas Relocation (mydecorarticles.com)
- Movers Las Vegas-Great Option for Relocation (thegrinchwhostoletv.com)
- How Can I Select A Professional Mover (movingreviews.org)


text:
|94 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 7/30/12
Originally posted by Yamota
I wouldn't describe declaring your P2P flagship the first proactively converted FTP submersible slowly sinking.
Login or Register to never see this panel
Advanced Member
Joined: 11/11/06
most players who still playing TOR are SW or sci fi fans,they don't care for one more fatasy mmo on market
only EVE is real MMO...but I am impressive with TSW
Novice Member
Joined: 10/05/03
Gaming should be about fun, not gender equality.
Originally posted by tiefighter25
Well it was slowly sinking before it went F2P. Now how it fares as F2P is anyone's guess, but mine would be that it will survive for quite a while, just like STO. However, it will never be among the top MMORPGs out there.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 2/23/04
swg was a much better starwars game than swtor .
swtor was a step back what racees there was all look the same, in swg they were much better more choice and yesyou could play wookie from the start :).
swg space combat was great , swtor was lacking.
but to me swg was a far better game than swtor will ever be.
SWTOR just had an event last week. The game has turned a profit through CE, headphone, keyboard, mouse, and other merch sales, and their aub numers are over the "profitable" margin. That said, a large number of their fair weather fans have jumped over to Tera and TSW by now... so GW2 probably won't impact SWTOR.
Error: 37. Signature not found. Please connect to my server for signature access.
Originally posted by Souldrainer
This is the same type of dillusional and arrogant stance that the developers of SWTOR have.
Though, I agree on one thing. They shouldn't be worrying about GW2 or trying to compete with GW2. They need all of their focus on trying to fix SWTOR. Go look at the thread about why people left SWTOR and realize nothing has changed yet and just going F2P won't make much of any difference at all for the majority of people who left the game.
Those "fair weather" fans didn't leave strictly because of other games. They left because the game is bad.
Originally posted by paroxysmOriginally posted by Souldrainer
Why try to bring people back? When the F2p launch goes live, they will gain millions of new customers without flip-flopping their design goals and spending even more money. The game does need improvement, I'll agree, but trying to shoehorn it to please the disenfranchised SWG fanbase will create more problems than it would solve.
Error: 37. Signature not found. Please connect to my server for signature access.
Novice Member
Joined: 7/30/12
Originally posted by Souldrainer
Maybe I'm just in a bad mood but (and this is unnecessarily blunt) but...
...that event last week was M'eh at best.
,,,,the game has not made back the cost of development and marketing by a long shot.
....the sub numbers which appear to have dipped below their day to day operations minimum ammount for profitability at 500k?
...the collector's edition that only had 50,000 pre-order units made? The CE that is selling for $29.99 and less collecting dust on shelves worldwide?
....if you are basing profitability on the few bucks EA makes on razer products (which amazon stocks at most 25 of) that's really scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
....those "fair weather fans" all 2 million of them? What makes a non-fair weather fan of this game? GW2 is already impacting SWTOR. When more and more leave, will they be fair weather fans as well? When will you be concerned about all the unhappy people leaving the game? When you are down to one half filled server or when the shut off the lights?
Maybe I'm jut piling on. I'm happy you enjoy your game but I find your level of delusion frightening.
Originally posted by tiefighter25Originally posted by Souldrainer
OK... every statment released by BW states profits + over 500k subs. I have seen your threads about your suspicions, and you're welcome to have them.. but you didn't post anything concrete, whereas EA has done so. If you're going to talk numbers and refute EA, this is again welcome, very much so... but please do add things up. The CE price didn't drop until the game announced ftp is coming... just one example of how speculation can steer things off course if numbers and proof aren't there... So believe what you will, but if you want to convince me, it will take more than what you've posted on this forum.
Error: 37. Signature not found. Please connect to my server for signature access.
Originally posted by Souldrainer
Interestingly we've seen absolutely nothing concrete from EA since launch about their profits or their subscription numbers but we continually hear hearsay about it all the time even in the news. Unless you have documented evidence to their sub numbers that you can post, why bother trying to deny what's evidently their pr to keep investors? it's HIGHLY suspicious that the financial director resigned just after making the original 1.7 million statement, he was the first to go, right before all of the major writers, many of the original devs, and that was just before the infamous 200. People were jumping ship left and right, They don't do that unless there's something seriously wrong with the future of a product.
Statements are VERY different from public reports that public companies produce quarterly where everyone can look easily.
Originally posted by Souldrainer
Not sure what you are talking about with shoehorning it to please SWG fans. Never played SWG. I didn't play SWTOR just because it was a Star Wars game either.
Millions of new customer with F2P? As hyped and as anticipated as the game was, how many who were interested didn't try it? Ok... Let's say you get those "millions" of new customers. In a game with so many issues, how many will stay or pay for anything from a shop? How many will experience the story and just leave?
I'm saying they need to fix what is wrong before just swapping it to F2P or what will be the point. Going F2P won't make the game different or magically fix all it's problems. They can only keep sitting in denial for so long before someone comes in and shuts the lights off on them for good.
Originally posted by paroxysmOriginally posted by Souldrainer
That's just it though... the game is not broken in the objective sense of the word. You can play 1-50 without any game breaking bugs. This means that your complaints all come back to matters of opinion. That's just it. People *will* play a F2P Star Wars game.. and some will like/love it... so it's a matter of F2P being a way better choice than re-designing the whole game just to please certain people.
Error: 37. Signature not found. Please connect to my server for signature access.
Novice Member
Joined: 4/30/06
I am over swtor, cancelled my sub and likely won't play it ever again, but having played gw2 some thisl weekend, I am already bored with it. It doesn't feel like a better game to me. If i hadn't just shelled out 60 bucks for gw2 i'd probably rather play swtor, but as it is I am going to try and force myself to find some redeeming value in this game.
So, what comes out next?
Advanced Member
Joined: 6/27/11
Originally posted by Souldrainer
Orange: They will gain millions of new customers? No they won't. No MMO gets millions of new customers except for the freaky pink elephant.... and yes it was a freak of nature for that critter to do what it did.
If they get millions half will be Eastern Grind Players on a timeclock sharing character for gold (credit) farming, or at least they will try that for a few months before most get pulled off SWTOR and snet to log in elsewhere. I will never consider those People "MMO Gamers", not in the slightest, nor will they be customers.
Yes, SWTOR will gain new customers, but not millions. If the get a hundred thousand new customers BioWare will be very fortunate. Most people that wanted to play SWTOR and can afford to spend money one it already have, whether or not they wish to admit that publically here.
Green: I actually agree with you on this part. All parties concerned... LA, EA, and BioWare, they all want to get rid of / distance themselves forever from the SWG fans. They want to forget that SWG ever happened. That is very obvious to even the most casual observer. They want all new customers of SWTOR to be people that were NOT SWG customers.
Originally posted by Souldrainer
I said anyone who hasn't played it will play it to see the story. That is the leveling part. The 1-50. And, what money will EA/Bioware make from those people as they play that and leave? What will people buy if they came for that part of the game?
Bugs are not the only thing wrong with the game. I never said it was "broken". I'd say it's incomplete(missing features), has bad performance, and is boring. I'd say it's crafting is pretty awful, social points and LS/DS are poorly implemented, armor is pretty horrible aesthetically, and it's pvp is boring and little in content. It lacks depth, community, economy, and things to do in general. And let's not forget space combat being on rails and horribly scaled. Or, how about those load screens to load transit areas to more load screens to get to a location.
Going F2P helps none of that. And even if you can say that's all my opinion, going F2P only addresses a single reason that people left the game. It needs more. F2P is not the savior of SWTOR you think it is.
Originally posted by Gardavsshade
When all is said and done, will they be more ashamed of SWG or SWTOR?
Novice Member
Joined: 2/13/12
Originally posted by Gardavsshade
What do you mean by that? Am I to take it as an insult or the fact that SWG fans have long memories and unforgiving? Rest assured, LA, SOE and SWG fans will all go to the grave being reminded daily of that game. I'm proud of my haritage thank you very much!
Novice Member
Joined: 11/30/11
I think the best way to put it is simple. Those who are interested in staying in fantasy will be playing GW2. SWTOR has no fear what so ever. by the time GW2 was released the majority of their Fantasy players had already jumped ship to another fantasy. So please tell me, in all seriousness, why would a Sci Fi fan jump to a Fantasy game if hes interested in Sci Fi?
Same can be said about TSW. TSW isnt for Fantasy fans, its a Modern Day Fantasy at most. SWTOR, GW2 and TSW are not in competition. TSW is for the players interested in Modern Day, GW2 is for fantasy Fans, SWTOR is for Sci Fi fans. If any game has a risk of outside competition its GW2. Fantasy games are a dime a dozen, where Modern Day is almost non existant and Sci Fi is only slightly better. Players will play in the world they want, I'm sure GW2 is a great game and all. i have no interest in playing another fantasy though so hell will freeze over before i play it.
Because i can.
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 6/08/12
"Veni Vidi Vici"
Originally posted by Nikkita
I love scifi and somewhat like SW IP and have interest in GW2. I don't even like fantasy or the lore but I like the game itself of it's content and what it has. Your statement isnt entirely true because its kinda sterotype imo if u ask me. I take the game's content and it's ability of freedom over the genre/IP. I can care less. I'm not even a gw2 lore fan but I enjoy the game. I don't like fantasy in fact almost hate it, I enjoy GW2.
What I am saying is, GW2 meets my expectations so fantasy of the game idc, lore of the game idc. the rest I do care and it meant my expectation pretty well or in other words it has what I love the most in mmos.
Looking at: The Repopulation
Novice Member
Joined: 11/30/11
Originally posted by Jonoku
Question though if somone released a good Sci Fi would you play it.
Because i can.


text:
Wrestlers don't like to grease up. Remember they are the ones going for takedowns. Its a lot harder to take some one down when you are greasy as hell. And yes I know you are joking or poking fun at "greasegate" but I figured I would just like to punch a whole in the logic of all the grease fans out there.
As for TRT, only if Hendo is fighting.