Arlington Heights firm expands sales devices using tablet

Shoppers, who have held paper registries in hand while searching store aisles for gifts, soon could say goodbye to that method.

Arlington Heights-based Infinite Peripherals Inc., next month is expected to launch the Linea-pro Tab, a bar code scanner for the Apple iPad. It allows shoppers to use the tablet to find appropriate gifts for weddings, baby showers or other gift registries in a faster, more efficient way.

“All they need to do is grab the iPad and thumb through it to find what they want to buy,” said Infinite Peripherals President Andrew Graham, an Arlington Heights resident.

Infinite Peripherals has a growing portfolio of Linea-pro products, including its latest version of the Linea-pro4, which works with the iPhone and iPod Touch 4 and Starmount's Engage mobile software. It's a handheld device used by sales reps on a retailer's floor to make the checkout process and product search easier for customers. It's being used at Urban Outfitters, Whole Foods, Lowe's and Nordstrom's, Graham said.

While the company started in 1993, its product lineup expanded quickly after the Apple iPhone gained popularity. Its workforce went from 12 to 25 and more are expected to be hired by the end of this year, Graham said.

Graham is seeking to replace the old cash register and stand-in-line system at most retailers today. His aim is to provide more mobility to retailers and consumers as they make everyday purchases.

Besides the tablet device, Graham said his company is developing a bar code scanner and all-in-one cash register that works with Apple and Blackberry products. In addition, he's developing a device that also can be used on the sales floor that immediately takes debit cards, with high security measures, that works on an iPod or iPhone.

“There's a lot of demand out there,” Graham said.

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