System and method for notifying a cashier of the presence of an item in an obscured area of a shopping cart

• US 20060032914A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howell Data Systems
• Original Assignee: Howell Data Systems
• Inventors: Brewster, David, Howell, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,219,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/045 Handling of baskets or shopping trolleys at check-out counters, e.g. unloading, checking

Abstract

A method of facilitating a checkout at a shopping cart checkout station is provided, comprising the steps of: inhibiting processing of items on the shopping cart in the event of a detection of a non-empty obscured section of the shopping cart; and processing the items upon receipt of a command input from an operator at the checkout station. A checkout station and apparatus for implementing the method are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a checkout at a shopping cart checkout station, comprising the steps of:

inhibiting processing of items on the shopping cart in the event of a detection of a non-empty obscured section of the shopping cart; and

processing the items upon receipt of a command input from an operator at the checkout station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process inhibiting step comprises the steps of inhibiting scanning of the items at a point of sale terminal at the checkout station, and notifying the operator of the non-empty obscured section.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the notification step comprises the steps of displaying an image of the non-empty obscured section on the point of sale terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the image is displayed until receipt of the command input from the operator.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the obscured area comprises a lower section of a shopping cart, and the step of detecting the non-empty obscured section comprises detecting an object at the lower section.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the point of sale terminal is in communication with an image processor, and the step of detecting the object comprises detecting the object with the image processor.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the image processor comprises a saturated gray-scale image processor.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method is initiated upon detection of a presence of the shopping cart.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the image processor includes a camera directed towards the lower section, and the step of detecting the object comprises securing a single image of the lower section with the camera upon the detecting the presence of the shopping cart.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of detecting the object comprises comparing the single image against a reference image of an empty shopping cart, and inhibiting the processing in accordance with the comparison.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the shopping cart is configured with a visual identifier, and the step of detecting the presence of the shopping cart comprises detecting the visual identifier.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the visual identifier comprise a barcode, and the step of detecting the shopping cart comprises detecting the presence of the barcode with a barcode reader.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing information about the checkout at a central computer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information comprises one or more of a checkout station identifier, cashier identifier, transaction details, an image of the obscured section of the shopping cart and a shopping cart barcode.

15. A shopping cart checkout station, comprising:

a detector for detecting a non-empty obscured section of a shopping cart, the detector being configured to generate a halt command upon the detection of the non-empty obscured section; and

a processor for processing items on the shopping cart for checkout, the computer being in communication with the detector and being configured to inhibit the processing of the items on the shopping cart upon receipt of the halt command from the detector.

16. The checkout station according to claim 15, further including a data input device in communication with the processor, and wherein the processor is configured to resume the processing of the items upon receipt of a command input from the data input device from an operator of the checkout station.

17. The checkout station according to claim 16, wherein the detector is configured to notify the operator of the detection of the non-empty obscured section.

18. The checkout station according to claim 17, further including a display in communication with the processor, and wherein the detector is configured to display an image of the non-empty obscured section on the display.

19. The checkout station according to claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to display the image until receipt of the command input from the operator.

20. The checkout station according to claim 18, wherein the obscured area comprises a lower section of a shopping cart, and the detector is configured to detect objects on the lower section.

21. The checkout station according to claim 19, wherein the detector includes an image processor for the detection of the objects on the lower section.

22. The checkout station according to claim 21, wherein the image processor comprises a saturated gray-scale image processor.

23. The checkout station according to claim 21, wherein the detector is configured to detect a presence of a shopping cart, and to command the processor to initiate the processing upon the detection of the presence of the shopping cart.

24. The checkout station according to claim 23, wherein the image processor includes a camera directed towards the lower section, and the detector is configured to secure a single image of the lower section with the camera upon the detecting the presence of the shopping cart.

25. The checkout station according to claim 24, wherein the detector is configured to detect the objects by comparing the single image against a reference image of an empty shopping cart, and to transmit an inhibit command to the processor to inhibit the processing in accordance with the comparison.

26. The checkout station according to claim 24, wherein the shopping cart is configured with a visual identifier, and the detector is configured to detect the presence of the shopping cart by detecting the visual identifier.

27. The checkout station according to claim 26, wherein the visual identifier comprise a barcode, and the detector comprises a barcode reader for detecting the presence of the barcode.

28. The checkout station according to claim 15, further comprising a central computer coupled via a network for storing information about the checkout.

29. The checkout station according to claim 18, wherein the information comprises one or more of a checkout station identifier, cashier identifier, transaction details, an image of the obscured section of the shopping cart and a shopping cart barcode.

30. An apparatus for facilitating a checkout of items in a shopping cart at a computer-based checkout station, the apparatus comprising:

a detector for detecting a non-empty obscured section of the shopping cart at the checkout station; and

a communication interface for interfacing the detector with the checkout station, the communication interface being configured to command the checkout station to halt processing of the items upon the detection of the non-empty obscured section.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the detector is configured to notify an operator of the checkout station of the detection of the non-empty obscured section.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the checkout station includes a display, and the detector is configured to command the checkout station to display an image of the non-empty obscured section on the display.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the obscured area comprises a lower section of a shopping cart, and the detector is configured to detect objects on the lower section.

34. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the detector includes an image processor for the detection of the objects on the lower section.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the image processor comprises a saturated gray-scale image processor.

36. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the detector is configured to detect a presence of a shopping cart, and to command the checkout station to initiate the processing upon the detection of the presence of the shopping cart.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the image processor includes a camera directed towards the lower section, and the detector is configured to secure a single image of the lower section with the camera upon the detecting the presence of the shopping cart.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the detector is configured to detect the objects by comparing the single image against a reference image of an empty shopping cart, and to transmit a halt command to the checkout station to inhibit the processing in accordance with the comparison.

39. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein the shopping cart is configured with a visual identifier, and the detector is configured to detect the presence of the shopping cart by detecting the visual identifier.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the visual identifier comprises a barcode, and the detector comprises a barcode reader for detecting the presence of the barcode.

41. The apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising a second interface for coupling to a central computer coupled via a network for storing information about the checkout.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the information comprises one or more of a checkout station identifier, cashier identifier, transaction details, an image of the obscured section of the shopping cart and a shopping cart barcode.