METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING AND REWARDING THE RETURNING OF SHOPPING CARTS

• US 20080021782A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: systec POS-Technology GmbH
• Original Assignee: systec POS-Technology GmbH
• Inventors: SONNENDORFER, Horst, WIETH, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 7,579,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/045 Handling of baskets or shopping trolleys at check-out counters, e.g. unloading, checking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0636 in which the trolleys or carts are kept in a restricted zone such as a coral-like enclosure, or are passing a gate before use is possible
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0681 in which a card, pay-card or card-like object is used as the special token required to get permission or activate the lock to use the trolley or cart
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells

Abstract

A method and a system for detecting and rewarding the returning of shopping carts to the supermarket collection points is provided. During shopping, a first signal A is generated. When a shopping cart is returned, a signal B is generated. These two signals A and B are correlated either in the supermarket or in an information device that the customer carries with him or her, in order to deliver a reward for returning the shopping cart. When the first signal A is generated, the customer or an information device carried with the customer is identified. Alternatively, the signal is provided to the customer at the supermarket checkout so that the customer himself/herself can take steps for the correlation of the signal A with the signal B that is still to be obtained.

Claims

1. A method to detect and reward the return of shopping carts to collection points at a shopping center, wherein during a purchase, a first signal A is generated and when a shopping cart is returned to a collection point, a second signal B is generated, and wherein the two signals A and B are correlated to issue a bonus, comprising;

establishing the generation of the first signal A by optical recognition;

assigning the first signal A to a certain customer by identifying or individualizing physical characteristics of the customer via data transmitted by the optical recognition; and

correlating the first signal A with the second signal B.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising

generating the second signal B when any shopping cart is returned to a collection point.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising

only generating the second signal B when the returned shopping cart had previously been located outside of the collection point for longer than a preset time period.

4. A method according to claim 2, further comprising

only generating the second signal B when the shopping cart had been previously used to go shopping.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein

the customer is re-recognized to generate signal B using an optical recognition system.

6. A system for detecting and rewarding the returning of shopping carts to a collection point, comprising a first detection means (5) to generate a first signal A during a purchase and a second detection means (7) to generate a second signal B when a shopping cart (1) is returned to a collection point (6), and a data processing unit to correlate the two signals A and B to issue a bonus,

the first detection means (5) is for establishing the generation of the first signal A by optical recognition and for assigning the first signal A to a certain customer by identifying or individualizing physical characteristics of the customer via data transmitted by the first detection means (5).

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein

the second detection means (18) further includes means for recognizing whether the returned shopping cart (1) has been stored into the shopping cart stacked row provided at the collection point (6) within a prescribed tolerance.