Fixed self-checkout station with cradle for communicating with portable self-scanning units
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Abstract
A retail checkout system includes a customer-operated portable terminal with a data reader, such as a barcode scanner, and a customer-operated self-checkout station with an automated payment-accepting subsystem. Customers use the portable terminal to identify and log products that are selected as they move through a store. Item identification data is then transferred to the self-checkout station, where the customer pays for the selected products using the automated payment-accepting subsystem.
61 Citations
64 Claims
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1-54. -54. (canceled)
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55. A method for item check-out in a retail establishment, comprising the steps of:
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downloading price and item data into a price look-up table in a portable data reading unit;
providing the portable data reading unit to a customer;
allowing the customer to traverse the retail establishment with the portable data reading unit and to select items for purchase;
updating the price and item data into the price look-up table via a wireless link while the customer traverses the retail establishment;
the customer selecting a plurality of desired items, reading an identifier on each item with the portable data reading unit, and taking the items to a self-checkout station, establishing a communication link between (a) the self-checkout station incorporating a customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem and (b) a data storage unit in which a plurality of data records are stored, each of the plurality of data records corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of identifiers that was read by a portable data reading unit before the communication link was established;
inputting the plurality of data records from the data storage unit via the communication link established in the establishing step;
determining a price total for a plurality of items corresponding to the plurality of identifiers based on the plurality of data records inputted in the inputting step; and
accepting payment for the plurality of items based on the price total determined in the determining step, wherein the step of accepting payment is performed using a customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification