Method and apparatus to determine product weight and calculate price using a camera
First Claim
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1. Apparatus to determine prices of products priced by weight comprising:
- a camera for detecting and identifying a product by type;
means for determining a volume of the product based on image information from the camera;
a database of lookup tables of densities of a plurality of products; and
a computer terminal which receives product type and volume of the product information and accesses the database to determine a density for the product, the computer terminal computing a weight of the product as a function of volume and density of the product and then computing a price of the product as a function of price/weight ratio.
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Abstract
Products that are priced by weight are detected and identified by type by a camera. The camera is used to determine as the total size (volume) of the product. Total density of the product is found by using a look up table in a database, relating size to weight for each product. The total price is then calculated by multiplying total weight by the unit price. This method and apparatus can be applied both to cashier-assisted check out and to self-checkout, whereby the self-checkout customer need only place the product on the moving conveyor in order for pricing to occur.
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11 Claims
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1. Apparatus to determine prices of products priced by weight comprising:
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a camera for detecting and identifying a product by type;
means for determining a volume of the product based on image information from the camera;
a database of lookup tables of densities of a plurality of products; and
a computer terminal which receives product type and volume of the product information and accesses the database to determine a density for the product, the computer terminal computing a weight of the product as a function of volume and density of the product and then computing a price of the product as a function of price/weight ratio. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of determining a product weight and calculating price comprising the steps of:
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detecting a product with a camera;
identifying the product by type;
determining a volume of the product from an image of the product;
accessing a database of densities of a plurality of products and determining a density for the detected and identified product;
calculating a weight of the product as a function of volume and density of the product; and
calculating a price of the product as a function of the calculated weight and price/weight ratio. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification