(12) United States Patent
`Todd
`
`I lllll llllllll Ill lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll 111111111111111111111111111111111
`US006380928Bl
`US 6,380,928 Bl
`Apr. 30, 2002
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`(54) DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURABLE
`ELECTRONIC SURVEY RESPONSE ALERT
`SYSTEM
`
`(76)
`
`Inventor: Kenneth J. Todd, 1770 S. Lincoln St.,
`Denver, CO (US) 80210
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/577,189
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`May 23, 2000
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`( 63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 09/001,945, filed on
`Dec. 31, 1997, now abandoned.
`Int. Cl.7 .................................................. G09G 5/00
`(51)
`(52) U.S. Cl. .......................... 345/169; 345/25; 345/172
`(58) Field of Search .......................... 345/169, 25, 172;
`434/262; 395/609; 705/10, 11, 15; 361/600;
`364/710.1; 235/375
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,355,372 A * 10/1982 Johnson et al. ............. 364/900
`4,569 ,421 A * 2/1986 Sandstedt ... .. ... ... ... ... .. . 186/39
`4,603,232 A * 7/1986 Kurland et al. .......... 379/92.04
`4,863,384 A * 9/1989 Slade ......................... 434/236
`
`5,572,653 A * 11/1996 DeTemple et al. .......... 345/501
`5,704,029 A * 12/1997 Wright, Jr ................... 707/505
`5,734,890 A * 3/1998 Case et al. .................. 395/605
`5,740,035 A * 4/1998 Cohen et al.
`........... 364/401 R
`5,801,664 A * 9/1998 Seidensticker ................. 345/2
`5,842,195 A * 11/1998 Peters et al. ................... 707/1
`5,870,030 A * 2/1999 DeLuca et al.
`........ 340/825.44
`6,014,668 A * 1/2000 Tabata et al. ................. 707/10
`6,154,745 A * 11/2000 Kari et al.
`.................. 707/100
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner---Chanh Nguyen
`Assistant Examiner-Fritz Alphonse
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Rader, Fishman & Grauer
`PLLC; Lee G. Meyer
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`An improved portable, electronic survey and satisfaction
`questionnaire device adapted for use in the hospitality
`industry, and more particularly restaurants, which incorpo(cid:173)
`rates a transceiver to signal restaurant personnel upon the
`achievement of certain threshold, pre-programed, criteria
`allowing contact with the customer prior to exiting the
`hospitality establishment. The device electronically presents
`a series of questions, records the answers, and stores and/or
`transmits all or a portion of the survey response. Preferably,
`the transceiver communicates with a silent pager, worn by a
`restaurant manager, if certain threshold responses are reg(cid:173)
`istered.
`
`11 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 1 of 21
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2002
`
`Sheet 1 of 11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 2 of 21
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 2 of 11
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`Unified Patents
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 5 of 21
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 5of11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
`
`MAIN LOOP
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`Figure 5
`
`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 6 of 21
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 6of11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`80~
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 7 of 21
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 7of11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`/82
`SCREEN PROCESSING r
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`__________________________________________________ !
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`Figure 7
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 8 of 21
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 8 of 11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`SERIAL/CHARGE PROCESSING
`
`~84
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`Figure 8
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 9 of 21
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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 9of11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`TRANSCEIVER PROCESSING )
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`
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`STATUS MESSAGE
`TO TRANSMIITER
`
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`
`EXIT TRANSCEIVER PROCESSING
`
`Figure 9
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 10 of 21
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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 10 of 11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`88~
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`A/D PROCESSING
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`READ BA ITERY
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`[ _______________________________________ _
`
`Figure 11
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 11 of 21
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`U.S. Patent
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`Apr. 30, 2002
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`Sheet 11 of 11
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
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`SLEEP PROCESSING
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`92
`
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`EXIT SLEEP PROCESSING
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`Figure 12
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`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 12 of 21
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
`
`1
`DYNAMICALLY CONFIGURABLE
`ELECTRONIC SURVEY RESPONSE ALERT
`SYSTEM
`
`The present application is a Continuation-in-Part of
`application Ser. No. 09/001,945 filed Dec. 31, 1997, for a
`Dynamically Configurable Electronic Comment Card.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`5
`
`10
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`The parent application, which is incorporated by refer(cid:173)
`ence herein in its entirety, discloses a portable, hand-held,
`electronic survey device adapted for use in the hospitality
`industry, and more particularly restaurants. The instant
`invention is broadly directed to an interactive, portable,
`hand-held, electronic survey and satisfaction questionnaire
`device having a remote, realtime, signaling capability in
`response to preprogrammed and realtime stimuli or thresh(cid:173)
`olds adapted for use in the hospitality industry, and more
`particularly restaurants.
`2. Related Art
`In many industries, obtaining feedback from customers is
`important to the success of the business. This is especially
`critical in the service industries, where the perceived quality
`of the provided service may be the only distinction between
`two service providers. Due to both the high level of com(cid:173)
`petition and the variety of alternatives available to the
`consumer, the restaurant industry is driven largely by cus(cid:173)
`tomer satisfaction.
`Thus, many methods have been devised to gauge cus(cid:173)
`tomer satisfaction through customer survey information,
`especially for use in restaurants. These have met with
`limited success, due in part to the competing goals and
`constraints imposed on the process. Ideally, surveys generate 35
`accurate results when every customer responds. While this is
`seldom achieved, obtaining responses from as large a per(cid:173)
`centage of the sampled population as possible is highly
`desirable. In an attempt to achieve this goal, the survey must
`be either presented directly to each patron, or made so 40
`conspicuous that they will notice it spontaneously and
`consider completing the survey. Opposing this goal,
`however, is the constraint that the survey technique
`employed must not negatively impact the customer's dining
`experience by taking too much time, being intrusive, being 45
`too complex, or having some other adverse attribute. This
`not only adds to the negative experience but skews the
`results. In an attempt to balance these demands, the survey
`device should be conspicuous, but not obnoxious or
`demanding; easy to use; quick to use; and comprehensive. 50
`Preferably, the survey questions could also be changed and
`processed easily. It would also be advantageous if certain
`responses could be instantaneously and remotely conveyed
`to management in an unobtrusive manner, so that immediate
`interaction with the customer would be possible and paten- 55
`tially adverse situations could be remedied in a timely
`manner, prior to the customer's departure from the dining
`establishment.
`Among the most common techniques currently employed
`is the use of the paper comment form. Often post-card sized, 60
`it is made available to the diner to be filled out and returned
`to a box for collection. This approach, while widely used,
`suffers from several drawbacks. Primary among these is the
`low response rate. These are passive forms, which are often
`presented on the table and frequently ignored or set aside by
`customers. If arranged on the table near other items, such as
`the sugar tray, salt and pepper shakers, and the like, the
`
`20
`
`30
`
`2
`surveys may not even be seen by the diner. Further, filling
`out such cards requires the availability of a writing
`instrument, which usually is not supplied. Therefore, unless
`the diner has a pen or pencil with them, the card cannot be
`filled out. Moreover, such paper comment cards are not
`interactive and cannot supervise or guide the respondent in
`filling out the survey. Those surveys that are completed and
`returned may be difficult or slow to process. Typically, the
`data must be hand-entered into a computer for processing.
`Occasionally, machine-scannable, "check-box" forms are
`used, but even these are error prone. Even if fully automated,
`such procedures may require several days or weeks to
`process the surveys and return the results to the restaurant.
`While this may be acceptable for long-term forecasting, it is
`inadequate for identifying and addressing more immediate
`15 concerns or successes. Further, gathering information about
`a recent, or perhaps temporary, change involves the expense
`of printing a new set of forms, and, if scanned, updating the
`processing program.
`More importantly, the prior art devices, whether paper or
`electronic, are oriented toward statistical, after-the-fact sur(cid:173)
`vey techniques. Whether the information is collected while
`the customer is in the establishment, or after he/she has left,
`the processing and evaluation of the survey merely indicates
`trends or identifies sources of dissatisfaction after the cus-
`25 tamer has left the establishment. While valuable as infor-
`mation to management, this does not provide the means to
`interact with the customer who has had a good or a bad
`experience prior to leaving the restaurant.
`It is well known that the best advertising, good or bad, is
`word of mouth. This is especially true in the hospitality
`industry. Thus, if a customer has a bad experience, prior art
`surveys can capture that data in an effort to alter subsequent
`events, but the customer who has had the negative experi-
`ence more than likely will not return and will share this bad
`experience with numerous acquaintances. This "negative"
`word of mouth advertising is hard to overcome even if the
`experienced problem is rectified immediately for the benefit
`of other customers.
`Several electronic survey devices have been developed
`and patented to address some of the above mentioned
`problems. The use of electronics holds the promise of faster
`processing and fewer errors, especially where separate data(cid:173)
`entry is avoided. However, nothing in the prior art provides
`for real time, self-administered, customer satisfaction survey
`systems, methods, or devices, or, more specifically, devices
`which signal a programmed condition to the manager or
`other service attendant so that intervention can proceed prior
`to the customer exiting the establishment.
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,367 to Casey is a simple device useful
`for very basic surveying. It is a stationary device intended to
`be placed in the lobby of a bank, or similar location, to
`survey customers as they are leaving. A single question is
`presented on a printed placard, and the customer is given the
`option of answering "yes" or "no" via two buttons on the
`face of the device.
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,315 to Cadotte et al presents a more
`flexible solution than the Casey device in that it can present
`several questions and accept three or more alternative
`answers to each question. Again, the answers are presented
`on written labels which are inserted into the device in
`alignment with the response keys. Like the Casey device,
`this device is relatively large and is intended to be placed in
`a fixed location within a restaurant and used as the customer
`65 is departing.
`U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,933 to Adelson et al discloses an early
`device which uses a microprocessor-controlled slide projec-
`
`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 13 of 21
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`US 6,380,928 Bl
`
`4
`friendly, presents easily tailored questions, requires no addi(cid:173)
`tional materials (such as pen or pencil) for use, presents
`responses in an electronic format that is easily processed
`without intervening data entry steps, and provides a means
`for immediate action by service personnel to impact cus(cid:173)
`tomer satisfaction. Its appearance should be eye-catching
`but not intrusive. This device is portable so that it can be
`presented to the customer while they are still seated at the
`table and therefore inclined to take the time to answer the
`10 survey. Operation of the device should be self-explanatory
`and should use familiar display and data entry methods.
`Further, the device is advantageously compatible with the
`low ambient light levels often encountered in restaurants.
`Ideally, it is presented simultaneously with the check so that
`its use is a part of the same transaction and not a separate
`interruption. This will increase the probability that the
`survey will be completed and not viewed as a nuisance.
`
`SUMMARY OF IBE INVENTION
`
`15
`
`3
`tor to present a series of questions and accepts answers from
`a keyboard. It is not generally applicable to customer
`surveys within service establishments.
`U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,228 to Yamamoto is an automated
`interviewing device which electronically stores questions 5
`and responses in audio format and provides for electronic
`control of question presentation and response recordation.
`This device is not generally applicable to customer surveys.
`It is a large device intended for lengthy questions and
`answers.
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,035 to Cohen et al discloses systems,
`methods, and devices for electronic, self-administered sur(cid:173)
`veys which generate market information for later use by
`advertisers, advertising agencies, and broadcasters. The
`invention is directed toward the storage of survey data in a
`plurality of survey devices and the subsequent upload of
`survey data from those devices to a centralized data pro(cid:173)
`cessing unit. The focus of the invention is the historical and
`statistical value of the survey data compiled. The device
`cannot be used as a real time tool for determining and
`signaling or triggering a signal upon the happening of a
`preprogrammed event.
`It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide an
`interactive, self-administered survey device which is easy to
`use, which is not perceived by survey respondents as 25
`tedious, and which automatically monitors data responses in
`real time and remotely notifies an attendant or other service
`personnel of a defined response or set of responses, facili(cid:173)
`tating immediate interaction with the survey respondent
`prior to their departure from the service establishment.
`It would also be advantageous to provide a self(cid:173)
`administered survey device which collects data on surveyed
`events and, in association with a predetermined or pro(cid:173)
`programmed event, condition or set of conditions, response
`or set of responses, or threshold survey score or set of 35
`sub-scores, alerts a survey attendant or other service per(cid:173)
`sonnel of these particular responses in real time by
`transmitting, by means of a transceiver, stored data while the
`survey device is still in the possession of the respondent.
`Since this notification of restaurant personnel occurs in real 40
`time, and is not merely a download of survey information,
`it instantaneously conveys information to service personnel,
`such as, for example, a manager or station attendant, and
`serves as a trigger for immediate action or intervention by
`restaurant personnel to either rectify possible service failures 45
`or acknowledge service accomplishments.
`It would also be advantageous to provide a survey device
`which triggers interactive and remote alteration of survey
`questions in real time, by means of a transceiver, based upon
`certain predetermined answers provided by the survey 50
`respondent.
`It would also be advantageous to provide a system and
`method for carrying-out self-administered surveys with
`remote portable devices, wherein a plurality of self(cid:173)
`administered survey devices store selected survey data
`which can be uploaded rapidly and efficiently to a central(cid:173)
`ized data processing unit by means of, for example, a
`transceiver. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a
`system and method for carrying-out interactive, self(cid:173)
`administered surveys with remote portable devices, wherein 60
`a plurality of self-administered, interactive survey devices
`communicate in real time with a remote site and trigger
`immediate action and intervention by service personnel to
`alter customer satisfaction prior to the customers departure
`from the establishment.
`There is, therefore, a need for an interactive, real time or
`near real time, customer survey device which is user-
`
`20
`
`It has now been discovered that the disadvantages of prior
`art survey devices and systems can be overcome with an
`interactive, electronic, customer satisfaction and survey sys(cid:173)
`tem having a remote, realtime or near real time, signaling
`capability in response to stimuli or realized, preprogrammed
`thresholds. Such realtime signals or transmissions can
`remotely notify or alert customer service personnel, as well
`as remotely trigger the transfer of additional, targeted survey
`questions when a respondent's realtime survey responses
`satisfy a predetermined condition or set of conditions. The
`30 device's capacity for real time transmissions while the
`respondent is completing the survey permits immediate
`interaction with the respondent either by allowing service
`personnel to interact directly with the respondent or by
`remotely uploading additional, specifically tailored survey
`questions which will more particularly address the respon(cid:173)
`dent's customer service experience, whether positive or
`negative.
`The instant invention is broadly directed to an interactive,
`portable, hand-held, electronic survey and satisfaction ques(cid:173)
`tionnaire device having a remote, realtime, signaling capa(cid:173)
`bility in response to preprogrammed and realtime stimuli or
`thresholds adapted for use in the hospitality industry, and
`more particularly restaurants. In the broad aspect, the system
`of the present invention is a portable, self-administered,
`interactive, electronic survey device, having means for stor-
`ing and displaying survey questions and answers, a pro(cid:173)
`grammable microprocessor, and a transceiver, such as for
`example, an RF communications link, for real time or near
`real time data transmission to a remote unit in response to
`preprogrammed or uploaded alert conditions or survey
`responses, and a support system for interaction with said
`device on a real time or near real time basis to allow
`intervention in a customer's service experience prior to that
`55 customer's departure from the service establishment.
`In accordance with the instant invention, the survey
`device automatically monitors survey data responses and
`transmits data in real time or near real time to a remote unit,
`such as, for example, a pager, a computer, or other remote
`unit, in response to predetermined criteria or sets of criteria
`triggered by a set of particular survey responses.
`In one embodiment, the criteria for triggering transmis(cid:173)
`sion of a message via transceiver means, such as an RF
`communications link, to a remote unit is a respondent's
`65 selection of a preprogrammed survey response or set of
`responses. In another embodiment, the criteria for triggering
`transmission of a message via a transceiver to a remote unit
`
`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 14 of 21
`
`

`

`US 6,380,928 Bl
`
`6
`Other objects, features, and advantages of the present
`invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art
`from the following detailed description. It should be
`understood, however, that the detailed description and spe-
`5 cific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of
`the present invention, are given for purposes of illustration
`and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications
`within the scope of the present invention may be made
`without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention
`10 includes all such modifications.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The above and further objects of the invention will
`become more readily apparent as the invention is more fully
`understood from the detailed description to follow, with
`reference being made to the accompanying drawings in
`which like reference numerals represent like parts through(cid:173)
`out and in which:
`FIG. 1 presents an illustrative view of an electronic
`comment card device of the invention as it would appear
`when in use;
`FIG. 2 presents an illustrative view of an alternate keypad
`layout for the electronic comment card device of the inven(cid:173)
`tion as it would appear when in use;
`FIG. 3 provides a over view of the components of the
`system of the invention;
`FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the major components of the
`device of the invention;
`FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the main loop of the firmware
`incorporated in the device of the instant invention.
`FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the firmware's reset self-testing
`process in the device of the instant invention;
`FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the firmware's screen processing
`in the device of the instant invention;
`FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the firmware's serial/charge
`processing in the device of the instant invention;
`FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the firmware's transceiver pro-
`40 cessing in the device of the instant invention;
`FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the firmware's AID processing
`in the device of the instant invention
`FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the firmware's time processing
`45 in the device of the instant invention.
`FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the firmware's sleep processing
`in the device of the instant invention.
`
`5
`is a survey respondent's fulfillment of a preprogrammed
`survey condition or set of conditions. In a further
`embodiment, the criteria for triggering transmission of a
`message via a transceiver to a remote unit is a survey
`respondent's achievement of a threshold cumulative survey
`score or sub-set of scores.
`In an alternative embodiment, the system automatically
`monitors survey data responses and remotely downloads via
`transceiver means, in real time, additional, targeted survey
`questions from a remote unit, such as a central computer,
`remote gathering data unit, or other remote unit, in response
`to predetermined criteria or sets of criteria triggered by
`particular survey responses. These remotely downloaded
`additional survey questions then become a part of the survey
`being completed by the survey respondent. In one
`embodiment, the criteria for triggering the download, via a 15
`transceiver means, of additional survey questions from a
`remote unit is a survey respondent's selection of a prepro(cid:173)
`grammed survey response or set of responses. In another
`embodiment, the criteria for triggering the download, via a
`transceiver means, of additional survey questions from a 20
`remote unit is a survey respondent's fulfillment of a pre(cid:173)
`programmed survey condition or set of conditions. In a
`further embodiment, the criteria for triggering the download
`, via a transceiver means, of additional survey questions
`from a remote unit is a survey respondent's achievement of 25
`a threshold cumulative survey score or sub-set of scores.
`In a further embodiment of the device, a direct commu(cid:173)
`nications link is provided to connect the device to a centrally
`located transceiver base station, capable of communicating
`with remote units such as a pager and a computer and remote 30
`units, such as a central computer or a remote data gathering
`unit. The transceiver base stations assists the device with
`communicating with remote units and remote sites when the
`device is for example, out of range.
`The instant device presents a series of questions, or 35
`prompts, to the user and records the answers. The on-board
`storage is sufficiently large to allow the device to store all of
`the responses internally, thereby allowing the device to be
`used for several days, or perhaps weeks, depending on the
`number of customers. The display is backlit, allowing the
`device to be used in the low light level situations often
`encountered in restaurants. The device is small enough to be
`incorporated into the check book in which the check is
`presented to the customer, and it is sufficiently similar in
`appearance to a common calculator that it will be familiar to
`most restaurant customers. It is easily operated, with
`answers entered by means of a simple keyboard, and user(cid:173)
`friendly. Customers can quickly complete the survey with(cid:173)
`out additional pens, pencils, or paper and without the need
`to discover where to deposit the survey when exiting the 50
`restaurant.
`In an alternative embodiment of the device, a direct
`communications link is provided to connect the device to a
`remote unit, such as a personal computer or a remote data
`gathering unit. In this embodiment, the communications link 55
`is, for example, a hard wire, infrared, an Internet connection,
`or the like. This allows transmission of large amounts of
`stored data faster than over the RF link. This link allows the
`stored responses to be transferred to the computer and new
`questions to be loaded into the device. In a further
`embodiment, the device can load personalization
`information, such as patrons names or account numbers.
`This information can then be used to tailor the device for the
`customer to whom it will be presented. In another
`embodiment, timers are used to automatically dim the dis(cid:173)
`play or shut off the device after it has been inactive for a
`predetermined period of time.
`
`DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`The following discussion focuses on the preferred
`embodiment of the system of the instant invention which
`includes a hand-held survey device incorporated into a
`restaurant check book in which the check is presented to the
`customer. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in
`the art, the disclosed apparatus is applicable to a wide
`variety of situations in which the garnering of customer
`satisfaction information is desired, including its use in
`non-food service industry. The disclosed invention is
`60 described below with reference to the accompanying figures
`in which like reference numbers designate like parts.
`Turning first to FIG. 3 there is shown the survey system
`of the instant invention 30. A central computer or host 32, a
`handheld survey device 11, a pager 50, and a transceiver
`65 base station 40 comprise the preferred system of the instant
`invention. The handheld survey device 11 comprises the
`central component of the system 30 and communicates with
`
`Unified Patents
`Exhibit 1009
`Page 15 of 21
`
`

`

`US 6,380,928 Bl
`
`7
`the remainder of the components, preferably via RF, in real
`time or near real time during operation as will be further
`described below.
`The main component of the system is the electronic
`comment card 10, as it would appear when in use by a 5
`customer, as better seen in FIG. 1. The survey device 11 is
`mounted in a "check book" 12. The check book is a term
`used in the hospitality business to describe the cover in
`which a restaurant check or bill is presented to a customer.
`The survey device 11 preferably occupies most, or all, of one
`side of the check book 12. The opposite side of the check
`book 12 contains a pocket 14 to hold a receipt and a pocket
`16 to hold a credit card.
`Turning specifically to the survey device 11, a display
`screen 18 presents alphanumeric information. Such displays
`are well known in the art, such as for example a liquid
`crystal display (LCD). Keypad 20 is of conventional design
`and used to input information to device 11 such as in
`response to questions appearing on display screen 18. Other
`features include a charging indicator 22, to provide a visual
`indication that the internal battery is being charged and a
`photo diode 24 which detects ambient light levels. The
`ambient light level controls the activation of back-lighting
`on the display. Display 18 is used to output information to
`the user. This may be questions, directions, or other mes- 25
`sages. In the preferred embodiment, the display 18 uses
`back-lighting to enhance readability where there are low
`ambient light levels. Data from photo-diode 24 is used to
`determine when to activate the back-lighting for the display.
`When the cover of check book 12 is closed, the light is 30
`switched off to conserve power. As discussed below, alter(cid:173)
`native switching approaches are anticipated.
`As will be further described, the device 11 communicates
`with the remainder of the system in real time or near real
`time to upload and down load data in response to certain
`criteria. As used herein upload indicates a transfer from the
`device 11 to the central or support computer 32, and down(cid:173)
`load indicates a transfer from the central or support com(cid:173)
`puter 32 to the device 11. Preferably, communication 40
`between the device 11 and the system is accomplished by
`transceiver 26 having antennae 28. The device 11 can
`communicate with pager 50, a computer 32, or a transceiver
`base station 40, as shown in FIG. 3.
`In a preferred embodiment, the numeric keypad 20 is
`modified somewhat