초록 ▼

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods by which information concerning the shelf-life limitations of a particular product item is made available to the purchaser electronically; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is provided to, or made accessib

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods by which information concerning the shelf-life limitations of a particular product item is made available to the purchaser electronically; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is provided to, or made accessible by, the purchaser; that the electronically recorded shelf-life limitation information is communicated to a computer equipped with a microprocessor, or to a computer system network, accessible by the purchaser, programmed to receive the shelf-life limitation data for each product for that purchaser; that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network, is further programmed to provide the purchaser with on-screen and/or printed reports of various formats that list the items purchased and the corresponding shelf-life limitation information; and that the computer or purchaser-accessible computer system network provides interactivity with the purchaser to allow the purchaser to identify further information to the computer/network, such as identifying location information of each particular product item, and the inventory status of each particular product item, e.g., whether the product has been opened or has been discarded.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A system for controlling product items with shelf-life limitations comprising: means for determining shelf-life limitation information for each of one or more product items; means for recording said shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items;

What is claimed is: 1. A system for controlling product items with shelf-life limitations comprising: means for determining shelf-life limitation information for each of one or more product items; means for recording said shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items; means for reading said recorded shelf-life limitation information for a product item selected for purchase; an electronic receipt electronically storing the read shelf-life limitation information for the selected product item, the electronic receipt being provided to a purchaser of the product item; means for retrieving the shelf-life limitation information from the electronic receipt; and a processor coupled to the means for retrieving, the processor adding the retrieved shelf-life limitation information to an inventory list of products purchased by the purchaser, the processor further detecting an expired product based on the shelf-life limitation information, and removing the expired product from the inventory list. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for storing said communicated electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items in a memory accessible by said microprocessor. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising: means for formatting for an on-screen display said stored electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items. 4. The system of claim 3, further comprising: means for displaying as an on-screen display said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items. 5. The system of claim 4, further comprising: means for the purchaser to interact with said onscreen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify new product items. 6. The system of claim 5, further comprising: means for said purchaser to interact with said on-screen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify deleted product items. 7. The system of claim 6, further comprising: means for said purchaser to interact with said on-screen display of said formatted electronic shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to identify opened product items. 8. The system of claim 1 where the means for reading said recorded shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items further comprises; means for converting said read shelf-life limitation information for each of said one or more product items to an electronically readable and storable form. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the shelf-life limitation information includes a period for which the product remains viable. 10. A system for controlling product items with shelf-life limitations comprising: a data store storing shelf-life limitation information for a product item; a scanner scanning a product indicia associated with the product item; a first terminal coupled to the scanner, the first terminal receiving the scanned product indicia and searching the data store for the associated shelf-life limitation information, the first terminal further generating an electronic receipt electronically storing the associated shelf-life limitation information for the product item, the electronic receipt being provided to a purchaser of the product item; means for retrieving the shelf life limitation information from the electronic receipt; and a processor coupled to the means for retrieving, the processor adding the retrieved shelf-life limitation information to an inventory list of products purchased by the purchaser, the processor further detecting an expired product based on the shelf-life limitation information, and removing the expired product from the inventory list. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first terminal is configured to store the shelf-life limitation information in an IC card accessible to the purchaser of the product item. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first terminal stores the shelf-life limitation information in a store server. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the shelf-life limitation information includes a period for which the product remains viable. 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic receipt is stored in an IC card. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic receipt is stored in a central server.