Method and apparatus for mobile electronic commerce

Abstract

A method for having a mobile price transaction system including comparisons. The system obtains information about prices and transactions involving products and services in real time over a wireless link. The actions include making a price comparison inquiry to a central server for the product, service, or price information. The inquiry is formatted in the central server for transmission to sources of the information such as vendors or their web sites. After receiving a response from the sources, the response is suitably formatted and is displayed on the mobile unit. The information will often be available locally on the central server, but the present invention includes commanding remote sources to provide an action such as a response, including a response at a desired time or for desired conditions.

1 .- 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A method for real time mobile commerce transactions comprising:
 receiving a selected transaction request transmitted from a mobile device to a central server, wherein the selected transaction request comprises an information search request, an information acquisition request, an information comparison request, a price request, a price comparison request, a transaction instruction request, and a transaction execution request, and wherein transmitting the selected transaction request comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of transmitting using a keyboard, transmitting using audible speech, and transmitting visual data, comprising data in a touch screen enabled display panel format;   receiving in the mobile device information from a coupled wireless bar code reader, wherein the information comprises at least one of product identification information, product feature information, and price information, and wherein the wireless bar code reader reads the information from a bar code chosen from a group comprising a bar code on an item in proximity to the wireless bar code reader and a bar code referring to an item not in proximity to the wireless bar code reader, wherein the coupled wireless bar code reader is one of integrated in the mobile device;   setting up at least one customized search engine table to conduct a search by selecting a parameter of interest from the table;   querying at least one server regarding the selected transaction request in response to receiving the selected transaction request wherein the server uses a lookup table and a stored user profile to set an environment specific to the user for the selected transaction request;   receiving a response to the query from the at least one server;   processing the received response;   transmitting the processed response to the mobile device, such that the mobile device receives the response in one of a plurality of formats comprising at least a visual data format; and   executing a transaction in response to a received transaction execution request, including communicating with the at least one server using data received from the mobile device, and further comprising automatic payment using the wireless bar code reader device information, automatically entering an item in an inventory database as sold, enabling the item to be removed from a store, wherein the transaction execution request can be transmitted from a remote position.