Computer operation control and item selection and vending methods and systems
View Patent ↗A signal is transmitted into a computer in response to an image on a display screen of the computer such that the computer operates in response to the signal; this includes moving a scanner in optical communication with the display screen such that the scanner detects an image (for example, a bar code) displayed on the screen and generates the signal in response. One or more computers may be used, and this may be used for vending a product or other purposes. With or without such scanning, a portion of a store environment may be displayed on a screen of a computer, including showing images of actual products for sale at the store, in which images of actual products are accessed via the computer from a database containing in-store images recorded in the store during a period of non-existent or minimal customer presence in the store. A vending system is also disclosed.
1. A method comprising:
causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;
decoding, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and
in response to selection of one or more items from the list transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said image includes a portion of a store environment, including images of products for sale at the store environment and images associated with the products; and
transmitting updated image data to replace the portion of the store environment included in the image with an image of a product.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said transmitting updated image data is performed over the Internet.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said updated image data is obtained from a database of product image data.
5. A system comprising a processor and memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the system configured to:
cause display, at a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;
detect, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determine a list of at least one item; and in response to selection of one or more items from the list, transmit data indicative of said selection to a second computer from said first computer.
6. A system comprising:
means for causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;
means for decoding at said first computer said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and
in response to selection of one or more items from the list, means for transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.
7. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions, the medium comprising:
instructions for causing display, on a display associated with a first computer, of an image including image indicia comprising decodable information;
instructions for decoding, at said first computer, said image indicia comprising decodable information and determining a list of at least one item; and
instructions for in response to selection of one or more items from the list, transmitting data indicative of said selection from the first computer to a second computer.
8. A method comprising:
causing display, at a first computing device, of data representing an image of a product, said image including image indicia;
identifying, at said first computing device, a product using said image indicia and causing display of a list of at least one item based on said identifying; and
transmitting data indicative of selected items from said list to a second computing device from said first computing device.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said image indicia is a barcode.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said list comprises product name and price information.