POS Generating Receipt with Annotation Data

Abstract

A Point of Sale (POS) terminal is operative to obtain annotation data from a customer or sales associate, and to associate the annotation data with an item in a list of the customer's purchases. The annotation data may comprise graphic annotations input by the customer or a sales associate on a touch screen display of the POS terminal. The graphic annotation is overlaid on an image of a receipt, such that it is associated with the proper items, prior to printing, e-mailing, or otherwise transferring the receipt to the customer. The annotation data may comprise text extracted from the graphic annotation and associated with an item. The annotation data may comprise a prepared graphic, audio, or media file selected by the sales associate at the POS terminal; the file is rendered when the customer displays the receipt image file received by wireless transmission or email.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of annotating a customer receipt, performed by a processing circuit at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, the method comprising:
 obtaining a tally of items selected by a customer for purchase;   displaying a list of items tallied;   accepting a command to associate annotation data with one or more of the items;   obtaining annotation data from the customer or a sales associate;   associating the annotation data with a receipt itemizing the items tallied; and   outputting the annotation data along with the receipt.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein displaying a list of items tallied comprises displaying a graphic receipt image. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein associating the annotation data with one or more of the items comprises associating the annotation data with one or more, but fewer than all, items in the tally. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein accepting a command to associate annotation data with one or more of the items comprises:
 displaying a prompt to associate annotation data; and 
 receiving an input at the POS terminal indicating annotation data association. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the annotation data comprises graphic annotations, and wherein obtaining annotation data comprises:
 displaying the list on a touch screen; 
 displaying graphic annotations overlying items in the list as they are input on the touch screen by the customer or sales associate; 
 capturing the displayed graphic annotations; and 
 associating the captured graphic annotations with the items over which they were input. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the POS terminal comprises an associate-facing touch screen and graphic annotations are input by a sales associate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the POS terminal comprises one of a customer-facing touch screen and a touch screen pivotable to face a sales associate or a customer, and wherein graphic annotations are input by the customer. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising generating a receipt image, and wherein:
 displaying the list comprises displaying the receipt image; 
 displaying graphic annotations overlying items in the list as they are input comprises displaying graphic annotations overlying the receipt image; and 
 associating the captured graphic annotations with the items over which they were input comprises substantially maintaining the spatial relationship between the graphic annotations and the receipt image. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein displaying graphic annotations overlying the receipt image comprises not displaying any graphical annotations overlying predetermined keep-out regions of the receipt image. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 generating a receipt image; and 
 registering each graphic annotation with the receipt image according to its association to an item such that the graphic annotation overlies the items in the receipt image. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising displaying the receipt image and graphic annotations together, such that the graphic annotations do not occlude predetermined keep-out regions of the receipt image. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 5  wherein outputting the annotation data along with the receipt comprises printing both the graphical annotation data and the receipt image. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 5  wherein outputting the annotation data along with the receipt comprises merging the graphical annotation data and the receipt image into a single image, transmitting the merged image to the customer. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein transmitting the merged image to the customer comprises transmitting the merged image to a portable electronic device of the customer. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein transmitting the merged image to the customer comprises e-mailing the merged image to the customer. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 performing optical character recognition on one or more graphical annotations to obtain annotation text; and 
 wherein associating the annotation data with items in the list comprises associating the annotation text with the items. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the annotation data comprises audio data. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein obtaining annotation data comprises obtaining audio from a microphone on the POS terminal and encoding the audio into audio data. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein obtaining annotation data comprises:
 accepting audio selection input; and 
 associating predetermined audio data with the receipt in response to the audio selection input. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the annotation data comprises a data file, and wherein outputting the annotation data along with the receipt comprises transmitting both the receipt and the annotation data file to the customer. 
     
     
         21 . A Point of Sale (POS) terminal, comprising:
 an identifying circuit operative to uniquely identify items selected by a customer for purchase;   a user interface operative comprising a touch screen display; and   a processor circuit operatively connected to the identification circuit and the user interface, the processor circuit operative to
 obtain from the identifying circuit a tally of items selected by a customer for purchase; 
 display, on the user interface, a list of items tallied; 
 accept a command from the user interface to associate annotation data with one or more of the items; 
 obtain annotation data from the customer or a sales associate; 
 associate the annotation data with a receipt itemizing the items tallied; and 
 output the annotation data along with the receipt. 
   
     
     
         22 . The terminal of  claim 21  wherein the processing circuit is operative to display the list of items tallied by displaying a graphic receipt image. 
     
     
         23 . The terminal of  claim 21  wherein the processing circuit is operative to associate the annotation data with one or more of the items by associating the annotation data with one or more, but fewer than all, items in the tally. 
     
     
         24 . The terminal of  claim 21  wherein the processing circuit is operative to accept a command to associate annotation data with one or more of the items by:
 displaying a prompt to associate annotation data; and 
 receiving an input indicating annotation data association. 
 
     
     
         25 . The terminal of  claim 21  wherein the annotation data comprises graphic annotations, and wherein the processing circuit is operative to obtain annotation data by:
 displaying the list on a touch screen of the user interface; 
 displaying graphic annotations overlying items in the list as they are input on the touch screen by the customer or sales associate; and 
 capturing the displayed graphical annotations; and 
 associating the captured graphic annotations with the items over which they were input. 
 
     
     
         26 . The terminal of  claim 25  wherein the user interface comprises an associate-facing touch screen and graphic annotations are input by a sales associate. 
     
     
         27 . The terminal of  claim 25  wherein the user interface comprises one of a customer-facing touch screen and a touch screen pivotable to face a sales associate or a customer, and wherein graphic annotations are input by the customer. 
     
     
         28 . The terminal of  claim 25  wherein the processing circuit is further operative to generate a receipt image, and wherein:
 displaying the list comprises displaying the receipt image; 
 displaying graphic annotations overlying items in the list as they are input comprises displaying graphic annotations overlying the receipt image; and 
 associating the captured graphic annotations with the items over which they were input comprises substantially maintaining the spatial relationship between the graphic annotations and the receipt image. 
 
     
     
         29 . The terminal of  claim 28  wherein displaying graphic annotations overlying the receipt image comprises not displaying any graphical annotations overlying predetermined keep-out regions of the receipt image. 
     
     
         30 . The terminal of  claim 25  wherein the processing circuit is further operative to:
 generate a receipt image; and 
 register each graphic annotation with the receipt image according to its association to an item such that the graphic annotation overlies the items in the receipt image. 
 
     
     
         31 . The terminal of  claim 30  wherein the processing circuit is further operative to display the receipt image and graphic annotations together, such that the graphic annotations do not occlude predetermined keep-out regions of the receipt image. 
     
     
         32 . The terminal of  claim 25  further comprising a printer, and wherein the processing circuit is operative to output the annotation data along with the receipt by printing both the graphical annotation data and the receipt image. 
     
     
         33 . The terminal of  claim 25  further comprising a transmitter operatively connected to the processing circuit, and wherein the processing circuit is operative to output the annotation data along with the receipt by merging the graphical annotation data and the receipt image into a single image, transmitting the merged image to the customer. 
     
     
         34 . The terminal of  claim 33  wherein transmitting the merged image to the customer comprises transmitting the merged image to a portable electronic device of the customer. 
     
     
         35 . The terminal of  claim 33  wherein transmitting the merged image to the customer comprises e-mailing the merged image to the customer. 
     
     
         36 . The terminal of  claim 25  wherein the processing circuit is further operative to:
 perform optical character recognition on one or more graphical annotations to obtain annotation text; and 
 wherein associating the annotation data with items in the list comprises associating the annotation text with the items. 
 
     
     
         37 . The terminal of  claim 21  wherein the annotation data comprises audio data. 
     
     
         38 . The terminal of  claim 37  further comprising a microphone operatively connected to the processing circuit, and wherein the processing circuit is operative to obtain annotation data from the customer or a sales associate by obtaining audio from the microphone, and wherein the processing circuit is further operative to encode the audio into audio data. 
     
     
         39 . The terminal of  claim 37  wherein the processing circuit is operative to obtain annotation data from the customer or a sales associate by:
 accepting audio selection input; and 
 associating predetermined audio data with the receipt in response to the audio selection input. 
 
     
     
         40 . The terminal of  claim 21  further comprising a transmitter operatively connected to the processing circuit, and wherein the annotation data comprises a data file, and wherein the processing circuit is operative to output the annotation data along with the receipt by transmitting both the receipt and the annotation data file to the customer.