On-demand point-of-sale scanner access

US7913912B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Phuc Ky Do · Morrisville, US
• Justin Monroe Pierce · Cary, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 22, 2008
• Grant date: Mar 29, 2011
• Expiry date: Jul 25, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q20/4014
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Associating and/or disassociating a mobile point-of-sale scanner device with a particular shopper. Shoppers may be identified, for example, using biometrics or by scanning a loyalty card. As an example of using biometrics, the shopper's fingerprint may be scanned as a trigger of the scanner is activated to scan an item's barcode. The fingerprint is preferably transmitted, along with the scanned barcode, to a server or other device for comparison to previously-stored information. The scanner is then automatically associated with the shopper to whom the fingerprint corresponds. In another embodiment, scanned loyalty card information is preferably transmitted (optionally, along with a scanned barcode), such that the scanner is then automatically associated with the shopper to whom the loyalty card corresponds. Disassociating the scanner from a shopper is preferably triggered using a sensor (such as a light) that forms part of the scanner device, whereby the sensor is activated when the shopper releases the scanner device. A timer may be used to filter out accidental activation of the sensor.