POS-centric digital imaging system

• US 20080249884A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Veksland, Michael, Ren, Jie, Knowles, C. Harry, Xian, Tao, Liu, Yong, Good, Timothy, Giordano, Patrick, Schmidt, Mark, Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Tao, Xi, Liu, JiBin, Essinger, Steven, Gardner, John, Kearney, Sean, Ellis, Duane, Ciarlante, Nicholas, Hernandez, Mark, Zhuo, Ming, Furlong, John A.
• Application Number:
  US11/980,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20080249884A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/046 Arrangement of recording means in or on check-out counters record carriers or readers per se G06K
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/48 Laser speckle optics
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10574 Multiple sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10613 by rotation, e.g. polygon
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10623 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10782 Slot readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 : with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 : Alarm indicators, e.g. bells
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/006 : False operation

Abstract

A POS-centric digital imaging system for installation at a retail point of sale (POS) station having a countertop surface. The POS-centric digital imaging system includes a system housing having at least one imaging window, and providing a cashier side and a customer side for the POS-centric digital imaging system. An omni-directional digital image capturing and processing subsystem is disposed in the system housing, for generating a 3D imaging volume adjacent the imaging window. A cashier/customer terminal is integrated within the system housing, for simultaneously supporting (i) cashier product scanning/imaging and checkout operations on said cashier side, and (ii) customer payment and other services on said customer side.

Claims

1. A POS-centric digital imaging system for installation at a retail point of sale (POS) station having a countertop surface, said POS-centric digital imaging system comprising:

a system housing having at least one imaging window, and providing a cashier side and a customer side for said POS-centric digital imaging system;

an omni-directional digital image capturing and processing subsystem disposed in said system housing, for generating a 3D imaging volume adjacent said imaging window; and

a cashier/customer terminal integrated within said system housing, for simultaneously supporting (i) cashier product scanning/imaging and checkout operations on said cashier side, and (ii) customer payment and other services on said customer side.

2. The POS-centric digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein said omni-directional digital image capturing and processing subsystem comprises:

a plurality of area-type illumination and imaging stations for generating and projecting a plurality of coextensive illumination and imaging zones into said 3D imaging volume, for digitally imaging objects passed therethough and generating digital images thereof; and

a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital images so as to read one or more code symbols graphically encoded within said digital images.

3. The POS-centric digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein said omni-directional digital image capturing and processing subsystem comprises:

a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations for generating and projecting a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes into said 3D imaging volume, for digitally imaging objects passed therethough and generating digital images thereof; and

a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital images so as to read one or more code symbols graphically encoded within said digital images.