ELECTRONIC SHOPPING SYSTEM UTILIZING A PROGRAM DOWNLOADABLE WIRELESS VIDEOPHONE

An electronic shopping system facilitates purchase transactions via a wireless videophone. A purchase transaction program is downloaded from the seller's server to a purchaser's wireless videophone via a program loader contained within the purchaser's wireless videophone. The purchase transaction program is stored in a program memory and is used by the purchaser to facilitate the selection of items to be purchased, as well as payment therefor. An integral digital camera is attached to the wireless telephone to facilitate the selection of items to be purchased and is controlled via the downloaded purchase transaction program to function as a bar code or product icon image capture device. Character or pattern recognition software translates the bar or icon code image into an appropriate item identifier.