Systems and methods for operating an Electronic Smart Tag (EST). The methods involve: operating the EST in a first operational state in which first item related information is output from an electronic output device of the EST that is powered by an energy storage device storing energy harvested from an external energy source; detecting when a charge level of the energy storage device reaches or falls below a first threshold level; and transitioning an operational state of the EST from the first operational state to a second operation state in which a message is output from EST requesting that a mobile device be placed in proximity to the EST for purposes of obtaining at least a first portion of the first item related information, in response to the detection that the charge level of the energy storage device has reached or fallen below the first threshold level.

A sales data processing terminal for a retail location, includes an image capturing device to capture an image of an item being registered in a sales transaction or a gift certificate presented for settlement of the sales transaction. A controller is configured to identify the item in the image by comparing the image to stored commodity reference information for items for sale at the retail location, and identify whether the gift certificate is a type accepted at the retail location for settlement by comparing the gift certificate in the image to stored gift certificate reference information.

A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, the plurality of shipment options, including a first shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by the customer and a second shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by an entity other than the customer. The GUI is configured to receive a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options and, in response to a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options, the GUI is adapted to deliver additional information to the customer or request from the customer additional input in order to complete the online transaction.

A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

An unrecognized item code is identified during a transaction at a transaction terminal. When the unrecognized code is determined to be associated with a typographical error, alternative corrected item codes are supplied to the transaction terminal to replace the unrecognized code. When the unrecognized code is determined to be missing from a product catalogue, an ordered list of most likely corrected item codes for the unrecognized code is provided to the transaction terminal for selection of one of the corrected item codes by an operator.

A method, system, and medium are provided for processing multiple items for retail sale via a single retailer action. Upon scanning a machine-readable marking that is associated with multiple items provided by various vendors, a marking identifier associated with the machine-readable marking is recognized. The marking identifier corresponds with each price of the multiple items. Each price of the multiple items is presented to a consumer for payment that can be disbursed to the appropriate vendors.

A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, the plurality of shipment options, including a first shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by the customer and a second shipment option where the shipment uses a railcar owned by an entity other than the customer. The GUI is configured to receive a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options and, in response to a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options, the GUI is adapted to deliver additional information to the customer or request from the customer additional input in order to complete the online transaction.

A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering is provided. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing an input object configured to accept a customer input identifying an origin and a destination for a shipment of goods. The GUI is configured for presenting a plurality of customer-selectable shipment options, including (a) a first route option corresponding to a first route including one or more rail segments owned by the same owner; and (b) a second route option corresponding to a second route including a plurality of rail segments where at least two of the plurality of rail segments are owned by different owners. The GUI is configured to receive a customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options. In response to customer selection of a shipment option among the plurality of shipment options, adapting the GUI to deliver additional information to the customer about the shipment or request from the customer additional input in order to complete the online transaction.

A method and system for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is configured by dynamically modifying an input object providing equipment options a user can select for a shipment of goods. Configuring the GUI comprises providing a hardware server arrangement including a machine readable storage encoded with software for implementing operations for configuring the GUI to alter selectable options on a GUI on a remote customer client system. Signals are sent to the remote customer client system to direct the GUI to implement a first input object configured to accept a user input identifying goods to be shipped. Signals are received from the remote customer client system conveying the user input identifying the goods to be shipped. These signals are processed at the hardware server arrangement to derive freight railcar types suitable to transport the particular goods and signals are then sent to the remote customer client system to direct a second input object implemented by the GUI to present to the user individually selectable freight railcar type options corresponding to derived the freight railcar types omitting railcar type options that cannot transport the particular goods. In response to reception of signals from the remote customer client system indicative of a selection of a freight railcar type option by the user, signals are generated and sent to the remote customer client system for adapting the GUI to deliver additional information to the customer or request from the customer additional input in order to complete the online transaction.

A method, as wells as an associated server arrangement and a computer, for conducting an online transaction to fulfill a rail-shipment service inquiry or a rail-shipment service ordering are described. A customer system is directed to implement a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to accept a customer identifier. In response to a specific customer identifier, the GUI displays an adapted set of individual commodities extracted from a customer profile. The GUI also presents customer-selectable shipment options configured to accept options conveying an identification of a specific commodity to be shipped from the adapted set of individual commodities and a quantity of the specific commodity to be shipped. The GUI may also be configured to deliver additional information to the user of the GUI in response to specific customer-selected shipping options and/or to provide a control component configured for allowing a user to place an order to fulfill a shipment according to the specific customer-selected shipping options. The rail-shipment service may then be performed for according to the specific customer-selected shipping options.