A method for providing point-of-sale (POS) payment using interactive television (ITV) or the world wide web (WWW) by directly debiting a customer's bank account through electronic transfer of funds or by billing a customer's credit card account. The customer places an order for products or services on his ITV station, or through the WWW from his personal computer, and can make POS payment either by authorizing direct debit from his bank account or by authorizing a charge to his credit card accou...

A method for use in marketing includes detecting, at the point-of-sale, a plurality of Uniform Product Codes associated with respective items purchased by a customer. The method also includes transmitting, on a substantially real-time basis, the plurality of Uniform Product Code over the Internet to a remote computer connected to the Internet.

A point-of-sale display for selling containers of chilled food items includes a quadrilateral vessel having a bottom and end and side walls, the walls containing thermally insulating material. At least seven removable panels each of which contains a material that is liquid at room temperature and has a freezing point of about 32 degrees Fahrenheit or colder are configured to fit together to form vertical walls about at least one interior chamber in the vessel and sized to be placed into the vess...

A method and apparatus for promoting the sale of a showerhead enables a prospective customer to evaluate the showerhead in a relaxed setting and separate from competing showerheads, while at the same time providing in a fixed, permanent, readily viewed location the information necessary to contact the manufacturer or seller of the showerhead.

A package for use in displaying merchandise on a display stand wherein the merchandise is securely attached to the package and wherein the merchandise may be actually grasped and felt by the potential purchaser who may even simulate the use of the merchandise.

An integrated point of sale terminal for processing multiple payment types including payment by check includes a compact housing, a processor, and memory. The housing has a base shaped to sit on a merchant counter and has a document slot for receiving a check. The processor is disposed in the housing, and the memory is in communication with the processor. The payment terminal is located at the point of sale during use to allow a store merchant to accept multiple payment types. The payment termin...

The system includes in combination two rails spaced for positioning and strips forming cross pieces adapted to secure together the rails. Each rail includes at least one positioning device and one snap-in device.

A display device includes a housing for engaging into an article and having one or more projections formed in the outer peripheral portion for engaging into the article and for locking the housing to the article. A casing is secured on the housing. A hanger device has a block rotatably received in the casing, a board secured on the block, and an actuator attached to the block and engageable into the housing and rotatable force the projections to lock the block to the article. The board has an ed...

A point-of-sale hanger for footwear includes a bracket having a rear part inserted into a header, and a front part having a pair of shoe holders arranged in a mirror symmetrical relationship. The hanger has a reinforced hook-shaped cutout by which it is suspended from a support rod.

A point-of-sale system is disclosed which is freely configurable with a plurality of peripheral input devices. The system includes a general purpose computer having a communications port for receiving and/or transmitting data. An electronic interface is coupled to the communications port and readily connectable to the plurality of peripheral input devices for communicating data between the plurality of input devices and the computer. The plurality of peripheral input devices can be selectively c...