Importance

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Abstract

A mobile customer service station includes a console on a wheeled chassis. The console carries and houses a number of components which are used in merchandising operations to conclude customer purchase transactions. The items supported externally on the console are a printer for printing purchase receipts, customer credit charge agreements and records of transactions, and a magnetic card reader for reading information from a magnetic stripe of a customer's credit card. The console further features a cash drawer. The operation of the printer, credit card reader and the cash drawer is controlled by a multifunction control unit located within an enclosure of the console. The control unit is electrically powered by a self-contained power source which is preferably a deep cycle rechargeable battery. The console also houses a transceiver unit which under the control of the control unit is capable of interactive communication with a radio communications system. The radio communications system is controlled by a central computer and includes a plurality of portable data terminals which are coded to individually communicate with the central computer. The infusion of the customer service station into the radio communications system allows the data terminals to become data entry units for the mobile customer service station. The self-contained power source and the transceiver permit the customer service station to be moved to merchandising locations of temporary peak customer activity without the expense or time requirements of first having to install electrical services.

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First Claim