The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 1995
Filed:
Jun. 14, 1993
Applicant:
Inventors:
Kazuo Kobayashi, Kakamigahara, JP;
Takemi Yamamoto, Nagoya, JP;
Assignee:
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Aichi, JP;
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G06K / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
235383 ; 194209 ; 194212 ; 241 24 ;
Abstract
An article which bears information representative of a convertible value thereof is deposited by a consumer for retrieval by the manufacturer of the article. The information is represented by a bar code on the article and read by a bar-code reader. A valuable return, such as a monetary payment, to the consumer is prepared based on the convertible value represented by the information read by the bar code reader. The valuable return is actually made to the consumer based on information borne by a consumer's recording card and updated based on the information read by the bar-code reader.