A physical fitness system includes a physical fitness director unit, a training card, an exercise unit, and a shopping unit. The physical fitness director unit generates training information for an individual and stores the information on the training card. The training information includes exercise information and diet information. The training card identifies the individual to the exercise unit and provides information that personalizes the exercise unit to the individual. The training card also identifies the individual to the shopping unit which assists the individual in acquiring groceries that support meal plans prepared by the physical fitness director unit.

A system that permits commercial transactions over a network of computers is described. In one example, the network of computers supports communications between business relation data structures. The business relation data structures reflect credit relationships between two or more businesses. To perform a commercial transaction, a consumer accesses a vendor's Web site. The consumer selects an item to purchase from that Web site. The vendor computer then generates a proposal. The proposal includes an item identifier and a price. That proposal is then propagated to all of the business relation data structures with which the vendor's business relation data structure can communicate. At each one of the recipient business relation data structures, the proposal is modified and forwarded on to other business relation data structures. The modifications are based upon the credit relations between businesses. This modification and forwarding continues until the consumer's computer is reached with a set of proposals. The consumer then accepts a proposal that best suits her needs. This acceptance is then propagated back to the vendor computer. The vendor can then deliver the item to the consumer.

A transaction terminal includes a touch-screen display and various peripherals in electronic communication with and under the control of a processing unit. A PIN entry area is generated by the processing unit that includes a video keypad. The video keypad, in conjunction with the touch-screen, allows entry of a PIN, ID, or the like. A shield or barrier is provided adjacent at least a portion of the video keypad of the PIN entry area that aids in the prevention of eavesdropping by a third party during PIN entry. In one form, at least one shield extends over and above the video keypad for extra privacy. In another form, walls are situated adjacent sides of the video keypad. Preferably, the PIN entry area is also labeled as such on the display independent of the display region in order to indicate the only proper place for PIN entry to the user. This aids in preventing Trojan horse applications that can show a false PIN entry area on another part of the display region in order to fraudulently obtain a user's PIN.

A shopping system includes store terminals for registering purchase and sale of items, a store processor for collectively managing the store terminals, electronic shelf labels capable of setting classification, etc., of the items, an item information data base for storing the classification of the items and the electronic shelf labels from information from the electronic shelf labels in such a manner as to correspond to each other, and home terminals for executing edition from the information from the store terminal or the store processor by a predetermined logic. The home terminal in this system accumulates the item information from the store terminal as history, determines a mean purchase interval of individual items, and decides and notifies the items to be purchased to the shopper by purchase item determination process of a next shopping day and a next-of-next shopping day inputted by the shopper.

A system for specifying, ordering, and building a build-to-order computer system. After initiating an ordering session, a user such as a purchaser or designer is presented with a list of options such as a list of operating systems offered by a computer system vendor or manufacturer that may be implemented on a targeted computer system. After receiving an indication of a selection from a first list of options, the system accesses a computer system readable master data base to generate a second list of options such as software programs wherein each option of the second list is compatible with the selection from the first list. The master data base includes entries for every option offered by the computer system vendor or manufacturer and includes at least one tag indicating compatibly with other entries in the master data base. The system can be used to present to the user a plurality of lists wherein all of the options presented are compatible with the previous selections. The system writes indications of the selections in a data file. The data file is provided to manufacturing wherein the selections are implemented on a targeted computer system using the data file. The system may also include a sniffing feature used to determine particular hardware parameters of the targeted computer system. The system uses the determined parameters in generating the compatible lists of options. The system enables a purchaser to buy and order a computer system over a computer network such as the Internet.