Apparatus for the processing of sales

• US 20080294438A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bizerba SE & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Bizerba GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Geisel, Alfred, Leu, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/251
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0018 Constructional details, e.g. of drawer, printing means, input means
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for the processing of sales of articles of a product assortment to a customer, in particular to store scales, having a microphone device for listening to a conversation between a customer and a salesperson for the conversion of connected spoken words of the conversation into an electrical speech signal, having a speech recognition device for the generation of a speech recognition result representing the words from the electrical speech signal having a comparator for the comparison of the speech recognition result with keywords stored in a memory device of the apparatus for keyword recognition in the speech recognition result, with at least some of the stored keywords being product names which define a group of keywords, and having a control device which, on the detection of a keyword belonging to the group and/or of a permitted combination of keywords, which includes a keyword belonging to the group, is adapted to output a piece of information associated with the detected keyword or with the detected permitted combination and available via a data source or to output an offer for the output of the information, in particular in the form of a section menu, by means of an output device of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the processing of sales of articles of a product assortment to a customer, in particular store scales, comprising

a microphone device (11) for listening to a conversation between a customer and a sales person for the conversion of connected spoken words of the conversation into an electrical speech signal;

a speech recognition device (13) for the generation of a speech recognition result representing the words from the electrical speech signal;

a comparator (13) for the comparison of the speech recognition result with keywords stored in a memory device (15) of the apparatus for the keyword recognition in the speech recognition result, with at least some of the stored keywords being product names which define a group of keywords; and

a control device (13) which, on the detection of a keyword belonging to the group and/or of a permitted combination of keywords which includes a keyword belonging to the group, is configured to output a piece of information associated with the detected keyword or the detected permitted combination and available via a data source (17) or to output an offer to output the information, in particular in the form of a selection menu, by means of an output device (19) of the apparatus.

2. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the permitted combination includes a keyword of a further group of keywords whose keywords are not a product name.

3. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the control device (13) is configured only to output the information or the offer to output the information when the keyword or the permitted combination is recognized within a preset time window.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the control device (13) is configured, to activate the preset time window on the recognition of a keyword belonging to a corresponding group of keywords or on the recognition of a permitted combination belonging to a corresponding group of permitted combinations of keywords.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the speech recognition device (13) is configured to differentiate between statements of the customer and statements of the salesperson.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the speech recognition device (13) is configured to recognize the age and/or the gender of the customer.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the control device (13) is configured to select the information or the offer to output the information in dependence on the age and/or gender of the customer.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the output device (19) is designed as a visual presentation device.

9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the output device (19) is designed as a touch screen.

10. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the data source (17) is designed as a hard disk, a flash component and/or a server.

11. A method for the operation of an apparatus for the processing of sales of articles of a product assortment to a customer, in particular store scales, wherein

a conversation between a customer and a salesperson is listened to and connected spoken words of the conversation are converted into an electrical speech signal;

a speech recognition result representing the words is generated from the electrical speech signal;

the speed recognition result is compared with stored keywords to recognize keywords in the speech recognition result, with at least some of the stored keywords being product names which define a group of keywords; and

on the detection a keyword belonging to the group and/or of a permitted combination of keywords, which includes a keyword belonging to the group, a piece of information associated with the detected keyword or with the detected permitted combination or an offer to output the information, in particular in the form of a selection menu, is output.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the permitted combination includes a keyword of a further group of keywords whose keywords are not a product name.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the information or the offer to output the information is only output when the keyword or the permitted combination is recognized within a preset time window.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, characterized in that the preset time window is activated on the recognition of a keyword belonging to a corresponding group of keywords or on the recognition of a permitted combination belonging to a corresponding group of permitted combinations of keywords.

15. A method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that a distinction is made between statements of the customer and statements of the salesperson by means of the speech recognition.

16. A method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the age/and or gender of the customer is recognized by means of the speech recognition.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, characterized in that the information or the offer to output the information is selected in dependence on the age and/or gender of the customer.

18. A method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the output of the information or the offer to output the information is displayed visually.

19. A computer program with program code means adapted to carry out a method for the operation of an apparatus for the processing of sales of articles of a product assortment to a customer, in particular store scales, wherein

a conversation between a customer and a salesperson is listened to and connected spoken words of the conversation are converted into an electrical speech signal;

a speech recognition result representing the words is generated from the electrical speech signal;

the speed recognition result is compared with stored keywords to recognize keywords in the speech recognition result, with at least some of the stored keywords being product names which define a group of keywords; and

on the detection a keyword belonging to the group and/or of a permitted combination of keywords, which includes a keyword belonging to the group, a piece of information associated with the detected keyword or with the detected permitted combination or an offer to output the information, in particular in the form of a selection menu, is output, said program being carried out on a computer.

20. A computer program product with program code means which are stored on a computer readable data carrier and adapted to carry out a method for the operation of an apparatus for the processing of sales of articles of a product assortment to a customer, in particular store scales, wherein

a conversation between a customer and a salesperson is listened to and connected spoken words of the conversation are converted into an electrical speech signal;

a speech recognition result representing the words is generated from the electrical speech signal;

the speed recognition result is compared with stored keywords to recognize keywords in the speech recognition result, with at least some of the stored keywords being product names which define a group of keywords; and

on the detection a keyword belonging to the group and/or of a permitted combination of keywords, which includes a keyword belonging to the group, a piece of information associated with the detected keyword or with the detected permitted combination or an offer to output the information, in particular in the form of a selection menu, is output,

said computer program product being carried out on a computer.