Purchase check-out arrangement in retail system

• US 20020016715A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trentsway International Limited
• Original Assignee: Sergey N. Razumov
• Inventors: Razumov, Sergey N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus

Abstract

A novel retail system with a purchase check-out mechanism enabling customers to pick up pre-ordered purchases is provided. The retail system comprises at least one purchase check-out facility having multiple purchase pickup points, and an assignment arrangement for assigning the purchase pick-up points to the customers. A customer is provided with information identifying a purchase pick-up point assigned to that customer. A request for collecting a purchase pre-ordered by a customer is issued simultaneously with assigning a purchase pick-up point for that customer. The collected purchase is delivered to the assigned purchase pick-up point.

Claims

1. A retail system comprising:

at least one purchase obtaining facility having multiple purchase pick-up points for enabling customers to obtain purchases, and

an assignment arrangement for assigning the purchase pick-up points to the customers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a purchase pick-up point is automatically assigned to a customer when the customer is identified.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, the purchase pick-up point is released from assignment to the customer when the customer obtain a purchase.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchase obtaining facility is arranged for providing the customers with pre-ordered purchases.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the purchase obtaining facility comprises a storage area for storing the pre-ordered purchases.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the assignment arrangement provides a request for collecting from the storage area a purchase for a customer simultaneously with assigning a purchase pick-up point for the customer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the purchase is delivered to the purchase pick-up point assigned to the customer .

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising an identification device for identifying a customer before assigning a purchase pick-up point, to determine information on a purchase pre-ordered by the customer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the identification device enables the customer to pass through a passing device after the purchase pick-up point is assigned to the customer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchase pick-up points enable the customers to inspect the purchases.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchase pick-up points enable the customers to check out the purchases.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a customer is provided with information identifying a purchase pick-up point assigned to the customer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the purchase pick-up point is released from being assigned to the customer when the customer obtain a purchase.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the purchase pick-up point is automatically released from being assigned to the customer when a purchase is checked out by the customer.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the purchases are pre-ordered by the customers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a request for collecting a purchase pre-ordered by the customer is automatically generated simultaneously with assigning the purchase pick-up point to the customer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the purchase is delivered to the assigned pick-up point in response to the request for collecting the purchase.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the multiple pick-up points are arranged in a single check-out facility.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the check-out facility contains a storage area.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a request for collecting from the storage area a purchase pre-ordered by a customer is transferred simultaneously with assigning a purchase pick-up point to the customer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the purchase collected from the storage area is inspected by comparing the weight of the purchase with a reference value.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the reference value is determined before delivery the purchase to the check-out facility.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the customer is provided with information identifying the specific purchase pick-up point assigned to the customer.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein a request for collecting a purchase for the customer is automatically produced simultaneously with assigning the purchase pick-up point for that customer.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the collected purchase is inspected by comparing weight of the collected purchase with a reference value.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the reference value is determined at a central storage facility of the system before delivery to said at least one of the purchase obtaining facilities.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the purchase pick-up point is released from being assigned to the customer when the customer obtains a purchase.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the customer is enabled to pass to the purchase pick-up point only after the purchase pick-up point is assigned to the customer.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the customer is identified based on data assigned to permanent customers of the system.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the customer is identified based on ID information assigned to a purchase when the customer orders the purchase.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one of the purchase pick-up points provides a purchase pick-up arrangement movable within said at least one of the purchase obtaining facilities.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein an arrangement for delivery a purchase to the customer from a storage area of said at least one of the purchase obtaining facilities is used as said purchase pick-up arrangement.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein at least one purchase obtaining facility has multiple purchase pick-up points for enabling customers to obtain purchases, and an assignment arrangement for assigning the purchase pick-up points to the customers.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the steps of:

arranging multiple purchase pick-up points in the retail facility for enabling customers to obtain the ordered purchase, and

automatically assigning a purchase pick-up point to the customer when the customer is identified.

13. A method of selling goods comprising the steps of:

arranging multiple purchase pick-up points for enabling customers to obtain purchases, and

automatically assigning a purchase pick-up point to a customer when the customer is identified.

24. A system for selling goods having multiple purchase obtaining facilities for enabling customers to obtain pre-ordered purchases, at least one of the purchase obtaining facilities comprises:

multiple purchase pick-up points, and

an assignment arrangement for automatically assigning a specific purchase pick-up point to a customer when the customer is identified.

35. A retail system controlled by a control system and comprising:

at least one storage facility for storing goods available for sale in the retail system, and

multiple purchase obtaining facilities, each purchase obtaining facility enabling customers to obtain pre-ordered purchases after a time period sufficient to deliver the pre-ordered purchases from the storage facility to the purchase obtaining facility.

37. A method of selling goods comprising the steps of:

storing the goods available for sale in a storage facility,

enabling a customer to order a purchase, and

enabling the customer to obtain the ordered purchase at a retail facility after a time period sufficient to deliver the purchase from the storage facility to the retail facility.