a system for authenticating a purchaser , collecting data of purchasers , and displaying personalized advertisements . the system uses video cameras to capture an initial image of the customer upon entry and / or at the register prior to checkout . the image is then sent via lan or wireless lan to a computer with image recognition software . the computer is connected to a credit card reader and to an in - store database where it can then be checked for a matching image . the database will then choose from a pool of advertisements to find one that matches the current customers shopping habits most accurately . the advertisement will then be projected onto a monitor in the customer &# 39 ; s field of vision . at checkout , if the customer pays with a credit card , the information on the card will be sent to the computer where it will also be checked for a match in the database . the in - store database is connected with a larger central database which shares all recorded information with all stores .