Multi-device supervisor support for self-checkout systems

• US 20030149630A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Frontech North America Incorporated (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Optimal Robotics Corporation (7293411 Canada, Inc.)
• Inventors: McVicar, Bruce, Leroux-Demers, Thierry, Kloubakov, Iouri, Jacobs, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,328,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A customer self-checkout system includes one or more checkout stations and multiple supervisor terminals. The supervisor terminals provide support to, and control over, the self-checkout system and checkout stations. The supervisory terminals may be wireless terminals that can capture self-checkout customer identification information including signatures, fingerprints, images, and other forms of identification.

Claims

1. A self-checkout system comprising:

a self-checkout station configured for customer-operated self-checkout of items for purchase;

a mobile data terminal comprising a wireless network interface and an identification capture interface; and

a controller operatively coupled to the mobile terminal and to the self-checkout station, said controller being configured to send data over a wireless network to the mobile terminal instructing the mobile terminal to initiate a identification capture operation, said identification capture operation being related to a self-checkout transaction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the self-checkout station is one of a plurality of self-checkout stations and the mobile terminal is operatively coupled to the plurality of self-checkout stations;

the data sent to the mobile terminal to initiate the identification capture comprises data identifying at least one self-checkout station for which identification capture is to be performed.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the identification capture operation captures a user-identification comprising identification data other than an alpha-numeric keypad input.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the user-identification further comprises an alpha-numeric keypad input.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the identification capture interface comprises a signature capture interface and the identification data comprises a representation of a captured signature.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the identification capture interface comprises an interface selected from the group consisting of a biometric data capture interface and an image capture interface.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein initiating identification capture comprises displaying on the mobile terminal a self-checkout station selection interface.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the controller is one of a plurality of controllers;

each self-checkout station comprises a co-located one of the plurality of controllers; and

each of the controllers is operatively coupled to the data terminal.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the controller is a shared controller operatively coupled to each of the plurality of checkout stations; and

the controller is configured to administer identification capture for multiple ones of the plurality of self-checkout stations.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the mobile data terminal is one of a plurality of supervisory terminals;

a first one of the supervisory terminals is operatively coupled to the controller by a wireless data network; and

a second one of the supervisory terminals is operatively coupled to the controller by a wired data network.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile data terminal is a battery operated mobile supervisory device.

12. The system of claim 2 wherein the mobile data terminal comprises a card reader configured to clear a weight violation at the checkout station in response to a reading of an authorization card.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the mobile data terminal and the controller interoperate to perform a plurality of supervisory functions associated with customer self-checkout at the checkout station;

the supervisory functions comprise processing of a payment transaction comprising an identification capture operation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the payment transaction comprises a payment type selected from the group consisting of a credit card payment, a debit card payment, and an electronic funds transfer payment; and

the identification capture operation comprises receiving a signature input at the mobile data terminal.

15. A method for providing supervisory support in a customer self-checkout system, the method comprising:

monitoring operation of a self-checkout station;

detecting a request for an identification capture operation related to a self-checkout transaction at the checkout station;

transmitting the request for the identification capture operation to a mobile supervisory station;

coordinating communication between the mobile supervisory station and a controller to process the identification capture operation in furtherance of the self-checkout transaction.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

monitoring operation of the checkout station to detect request for processing of one of a plurality of supervisory functions associated with operation of the checkout station; and

exchanging data with the mobile supervisory station to perform the processing of the one of the supervisory functions.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein processing the identification capture operation comprises capturing identification data other than a alpha-numeric keypad input.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the captured identification data comprises data representing a signature received at a signature capture interface that is integral with the mobile supervisory station.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein

the mobile supervisory station is one of a plurality of supervisory stations;

coordinating communication further comprises coordinating communication between the controller and other ones of the supervisory stations such that an identification capture operation is initiated at multiple ones of the supervisory stations;

receiving at a communications controller a response from a first one of the supervisory stations indicating completion of an identification capture operation at the first one of the supervisory stations;

in response to completion of the identification capture operation at the first one of the supervisory stations, canceling outstanding identification capture operations initiated at other ones of the self-checkout stations.

20. A method of processing input at a supervisory terminal in a self-checkout system using a handheld supervisory device, the method comprising:

receiving a supervisory request at a handheld supervisory device, the supervisory request indicating identification capture is required to further processing of a self-checkout transaction a self-checkout station;

processing the supervisory request to determine a sequence of processing steps associated with receipt of user identification data responsive to the supervisory request, where the user identification data comprises identification data uniquely associated with user input characteristics.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the user identification data comprises a representation of a handwriting sample input at a handwriting input device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the handwriting sample comprises a user signature.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the supervisory request is generated in response to a purchase payment transaction and the method further comprises storing the representation of the handwriting sample in a database as a record of payment authorization.