Price Look-up Processing (e.g., Updating) Patents (Class 705/20)
  • Patent number: 5899981
    Abstract: A system and method for processing expense reimbursement claims supported by at least one receipt associated with identifying indicia. The system includes computer readable memory, in which is defined an expense voucher record having a charge field for identifying an entity incurring expenses, an expense field for identifying expenses incurred by the entity, and a voucher identification field. The system further includes a computer in communication with the memory, for loading the voucher identification field with a first code associated with the identifying indicia, for comparing the contents of the charge field and the expense fields with corresponding reference data according to pre-defined verification criteria to determine whether or not the contents of the charge field and the expense field meet the verification criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1999
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventors: Janet Catherine Taylor, Sybil Steele-Henderson, Timothy Dale Riddle
  • Patent number: 5878400
    Abstract: The invention organizes various pricing tables and price adjustment tables and various products and purchasing organizations based on "who" (i.e. which purchasing organization) is purchasing "what" (i.e. which product). The invention utilizes a denormalized table to relate the "who" to the "what" using denormalized numbers. The invention further organizes various purchasing organizations and products into hierarchical tables. These hierarchical tables are called organizational groups and product groups. Various price adjustments may be specified for each level of the organizational groups and product groups hierarchies. The price adjustments for a particular purchasing organization are determined by retrieving the price adjustments for that particular purchasing organization as well as the price adjustments for organizational groups above the particular purchasing organization in the organizational groups hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Trilogy Development Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas J. Carter, III
  • Patent number: 5873069
    Abstract: An enterprise-wide integrated computer system for storing, processing and reporting pricing information regarding a plurality of products in a plurality of stores in a plurality of markets, including a pricing function for pricing and re-pricing products responsive to market price changes. Pricing and re-pricing are accomplished on a product-by-product and a market-by-market basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1999
    Assignee: American TV & Appliance of Madison, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas G. Reuhl, Howard J. Lenerz, Jr., Laurie J. Vosen
  • Patent number: 5870714
    Abstract: A scheduled price verification system and method which ensure that a scheduled price change has been scheduled for an electronic price label (EPL) associated with an item. The system includes a storage medium for storing an EPL data file and a spool file, and a computer. The computer executes a scheduled price verifier program which reads the EPL data file to obtain identification information for the item associated with the EPL, reads a price file to obtain a new price and a time that the new price is to be effective, reads the spool file after the time to determine whether it contains a record of the one price change to the new price for the EPL, and schedules a price change message containing the new price if the spool file does not contain the record of the one price change to the new price for the EPL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1999
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Dinesh K. Shetty, Terry L. Zimmerman, Christopher L. Haynes
  • Patent number: 5870716
    Abstract: A shopping system includes store terminals for registering purchase and sale of items, a store processor for collectively managing the store terminals, electronic shelf labels capable of setting classification, etc., of the items, an item information data base for storing the classification of the items and the electronic shelf labels from information from the electronic shelf labels in such a manner as to correspond to each other, and home terminals for executing edition from the information from the store terminal or the store processor by a predetermined logic. The home terminal in this system accumulates the item information from the store terminal as history, determines a mean purchase interval of individual items, and decides and notifies the items to be purchased to the shopper by purchase item determination process of a next shopping day and a next-of-next shopping day inputted by the shopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taichi Sugiyama, Yukio Akimoto, Takafumi Morimoto, Yoshiyuki Tsuge
  • Patent number: 5839116
    Abstract: A system and method of obtaining information from a price look-up (PLU) file which employ an application programming interface which isolates application programs from each other. The system preferably includes a storage medium containing the PLU file, a computer coupled to the storage medium, control software executed by the computer, an application programming interface (API) having hooks into the control software, and a program executed by the computer which attaches into the API via interprocess communications for obtaining information for an item from the PLU file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: John C. Goodwin, III
  • Patent number: 5812985
    Abstract: An improved system for space management in retail stores is described. The space management system includes price display labels mounted on rails along the edges of shelves in a store. A communications link between the computer and the labels permits the computer to address each label by a logical address and to determine the physical location of each label to within a resolution of typically four feet. The system prepares price audit lists and adjacency audit lists that permit economical use of the time of store personnel during the audit. The lists are generated in such a way that the items on a particular list are physically contiguous; thus once the correct general area has been located by the auditor little additional time need be spent locating the individual items. In performing an audit of product facings, the user is able to use the display hardware, including the pushbutton on each label, as a data collection system for product facing information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Electronic Retailing Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce F. Failing, Anthony P. Fernandez, George T. Briechle, Edward J. Fenwick, J. Robert Venable
  • Patent number: 5797132
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an electronic labelling system such as for display pricing information on the edge of shelves in retail supermarkets which system comprises a computer (1), a transceiver (2) connected thereto, as well as electronic tags (4) preferably fixed to shelves, with the transceiver (2) transmitting, by means of electromagnetic waves (5), communications frames to update the tags (4), said frames holding the specific address (7) of a tag (4) as well as the data (8) to be displayed, said tags (4) including a receiver which is periodically activated to receive the communications frames. To reduce the power consumption of the tags (4), it is suggested that the tags (4) comprise devices for synchronizing the receivers, said devices activating the receivers at the same instant in time when a communications frame is being transmitted from the transceiver (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Pricer AB
    Inventor: Richard Altwasser
  • Patent number: 5794211
    Abstract: An electronic price label (EPL) price verification system which ensures that a price for an item obtained from a price look-up (PLU) file by a bar code scanner is equal to another price displayed by an electronic price label (EPL) for the item. The EPL price verification system includes a computer system coupled to the EPL, which includes a terminal and a storage medium coupled to the terminal. The storage medium contains an EPL data file, which contains EPL identification information and an EPL price verifier. The computer terminal executes a price verification program which reads the PLU file to obtain the price of the item, calculates another price verifier from the price of the item in the price file, reads EPL data file to obtain the one price verifier, compares the one and the other price verifiers to determine whether they are equal, and changes the displayed price to the price in the PLU file if the one and the other price verifiers are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: John C. Goodwin, III, Terry L. Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 5774872
    Abstract: An automated transaction tax reporting/collection system. The system includes individual point of sale terminals disposed at each remote vendor location. The point of sale terminals are networked to a central computer, preferably via a plurality of intermediate data collection sub-stations. Each terminal includes means for inputting and storing data regarding taxable transactions, as well as for storing data reflecting the tax accrued on each transaction. This stored data is collected on a periodic, rotating basis by the corresponding data collection sub-station according to control signals generated by the central computer. All of the collected data is ultimately transmitted to the central computer, which is operative to generate reports reflecting the transaction tax due from each remote vendor location. These reports may then be sent to the taxing authority, the individual merchants, and/or to other taxing authorities, such as the federal government.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Richard Golden
    Inventors: Richard Golden, Joel R. Stanesa
  • Patent number: 5771172
    Abstract: This invention relates to a production system for retail goods which is intended for timely collection of accurate sales information from retail outlets and flexible production of goods in accordance with the same information, and comprises a retail sales information collecting means, a production quantity setting means for determining a production quantity according to the information so collected, a directing means for directing the preparation and production of raw materials according to the determined production quantity, and a production means for producing the determined production quantity according to a direction to produce. Also provided is a raw materials ordering system, which determines production quantities of raw materials in accordance with production plans for ensuring flexible production of the products without the disadvantage of carrying excessive inventories and for economical and efficient control and supply of raw materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Kanebo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Yamamoto, Masaya Ogawa, Eichi Yoshida, Masataka Hotta, Toru Morita, Akiko Omori