Retail store and method employing multiple network interfaces at each cash register, and receiving signals from portable cards at each cash register

Claim 1

A store for a system having a plurality of portable cards each having a card memory for storing coupons, the store comprising: a network medium; a roof structure; a plurality of products under the roof structure; a common computer, under the roof structure, that sends pricing signals for pricing products, through the network medium; and a plurality of cash register stations under the roof structure, each cash register station including a card interface for reading from the card memory of one of the portable cards; a first processing unit that executes a first program in a first memory, a first network interface coupled to the first processing unit and the network medium, a second processing unit that executes a second program in a second memory, the second processing unit being responsive to the card interface, the second processing unit generating a first signal corresponding to a product and sending the first signal to the first processing unit, and generating a second signal corresponding to a person, a second network interface coupled to the second processing unit and the network medium, an electromagnetic detector for generating a third signal corresponding to a product, wherein the first processing unit receives one of the pricing signals from the common computer, through the first network interface, and the first processing unit determines a price by processing the one of the pricing signals, the first signal from the second processing unit, and the third signal.