Self-guiding interface for customer service machines

• US 20090182638A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Taylor, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• 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

Abstract

A customer service machine, such as a self check-out terminal, includes a visual indicator and a proximity sensor associated with certain functional components or stations of the terminal, such as itemization, bagging and payment stations. The visual indicator is configured to provide a visual signal to either encourage or deter customer activity at the particular station, depending upon whether any activity is required to further a transaction being conducted at the terminal. The proximity sensor at each station determines whether the customer is about to take action at that station. A controller determines whether the action is appropriate, and if not activates the visual indicator to deter such action, or if so activates the visual indicator to encourage such action. In one embodiment, the visual indicator includes a red light that is illuminated to deter action and a green light that is activated to encourage action.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine having a plurality of stations at which a customer performs an activity in accordance with a sequence of pre-determined steps in furtherance of a transaction to be completed at the machine, comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of the customer immediately adjacent one of the plurality of stations;

determining whether an activity is to be performed at the one station in accordance with a current one of the pre-determined steps; and

providing a visual indication adjacent the one station based on the outcome of the determining step.

2. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 1, wherein:

an outcome of the determining step is that no activity is to be performed at the one station in accordance with the current one of the pre-determined steps; and

the step of providing a visual indication includes activating a visual indicator to deter customer activity at the one station.

3. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 2, further comprising the step of deactivating the visual indicator when the presence of the customer at the one station is no longer detected.

4. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 2, wherein:

another outcome of the determining step is that an activity is to be performed at the one station in accordance with the current one of the pre-determined steps; and

the step of providing a visual indication includes activating a visual indicator to encourage customer activity at the one station.

5. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 4, wherein the visual indicator to deter customer activity includes a red light and the visual indicator to encourage customer activity includes a green light.

6. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 1, wherein:

an outcome of the determining step is that an activity is to be performed at the one station in accordance with the current one of the pre-determined steps; and

the step of providing a visual indication includes activating a visual indicator to encourage customer activity at the one station.

7. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 6, wherein the visual indicator to encourage customer activity includes a green light.

8. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the activity has commenced at the one station; and

if so, deactivating the visual indicator.

9. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the customer includes polling a proximity sensor disposed immediately adjacent the one station.

10. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 9, wherein;

the step of detecting the presence of the customer includes polling a proximity sensor disposed immediately adjacent each of the plurality of stations; and

the determining step and the step of providing a visual indication is performed for each station when the proximity sensor at that station is polled.

11. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 10, wherein:

an outcome of the determining step is that no activity is to be performed at a station in accordance with the current one of the pre-determined steps; and

the step of providing a visual indication includes activating a visual indicator to deter customer activity at the station.

12. The method for guiding a customer in the use of a customer service machine of claim 11, wherein the visual indicator is activated only as long as the presence of the customer is detected at the station.

13. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction at a self check-out (SCO) terminal having an itemization station including a scanner for scanning a coded product, a bagging station including a scale for registering the weight of a product placed at the bagging station, and a payment station including a payment acceptor with a cash acceptor, a coin acceptor and a card reader, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the presence of the customer immediately adjacent one of the stations;

determining whether an activity is to be performed by the customer at the one station in furtherance of the check-out transaction; and

providing a sensible indication adjacent the one station based on the outcome of the determining step.

14. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 13, wherein:

an outcome of the determining step is that no activity is to be performed at that time at the one station in accordance in furtherance of the check-out transaction; and

the step of providing a sensible indication includes activating an indicator to deter customer activity at the one station.

15. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 14, further comprising the step of deactivating the sensible indicator when the presence of the customer at the one station is no longer detected.

16. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 14, wherein:

another outcome of the determining step is that an activity is to be performed by the customer at that time at the one station in furtherance of the check-out transaction; and

the step of providing a sensible indication includes activating an indicator to encourage customer activity at the one station.

17. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 16, wherein the sensible indicator to deter customer activity includes a red light and the sensible indicator to encourage customer activity includes a green light.

18. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 13, wherein:

an outcome of the determining step is that an activity is to be performed by the customer at that time at the one station in furtherance of the check-out transaction; and

the step of providing a sensible indication includes activating an indicator to encourage customer activity at the one station.

19. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 18, wherein the sensible indicator to encourage customer activity includes a green light.

20. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the activity has commenced at the one station; and

if so, deactivating the sensible indicator.

21. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 13, wherein the sensible indicator is activated only as long as the presence of the customer is detected at the station.

22. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 13, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the customer includes polling proximity sensors disposed adjacent at least the bagging station and the payment station and the step of providing a sensible indication includes illuminating an indicator light adjacent the bagging station or the payment station.

23. The method for guiding a customer through a check-out transaction of claim 22, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the customer includes polling proximity sensors disposed adjacent at least the bagging station, the cash acceptor, the coin acceptor and the card reader and the step of providing a sensible indication includes illuminating an indicator light adjacent the bagging station, the cash acceptor, the coin acceptor or the card reader.

24. A self-service checkout (SCO) terminal at which a customer conducts a transaction, the SCO terminal comprising:

an itemization station including a scanner for scanning a coded product;

a bagging station including a scale for registering the weight of product placed at the bagging station;

a payment station including a payment acceptor with a cash acceptor and a coin acceptor, and further including a card reader;

a central processor for processing a transaction conducted at the terminal and for issuing control instructions to activate each of the stations according to pre-determined steps in the transaction;

a display coupled to the central processor and operable to direct the customer to perform an activity at each of the stations according to the pre-determined steps in the transaction;

an indicator sensible by the customer and an associated proximity sensor disposed adjacent a corresponding one of at least said bagging station, said payment acceptor and said card reader, said sensible indicator operable in response to an activation signal, and said proximity sensor operable to detect the presence of the customer immediately adjacent the sensor and to generate a proximity signal in response thereto; and

a controller operable to generate said activation signal for each sensible indicator in response to a proximity signal generated by said associated proximity sensor and in response to a control instruction to activate said corresponding one of at least said bagging station, said payment acceptor and said card reader.

25. The self-service checkout (SCO) terminal of claim 24, wherein:

said sensible indicator includes a first indicator to deter activity by the customer at the associated station and a second indicator to promote activity by the customer at the associated station;

said first indicator is operable in response to an activation signal generated by said controller when no control instruction has been issued by the central processor to activate the corresponding station; and

said second indicator is operable in response to an activation signal generated by said controller when a control instruction has been issued by the central processor to activate the corresponding station.

26. The self-service checkout (SCO) terminal of claim 24, wherein said first indicator is a red light and said second indicator is a green light.

27. A customer service machine having a plurality of stations at which a customer performs an activity in furtherance of a transaction to be completed at the machine and a central processor configured to control the plurality of stations during the transaction, the machine comprising:

for at least some of the plurality of stations;

a proximity sensor adjacent the station adapted to detect the presence of an object near the corresponding station and to generate a proximity signal in response thereto; and

an indicator sensible by the customer and disposed adjacent the station, said indicator operable in response to an activation signal; and

a controller coupling said proximity sensor and said indicator to the central processor of the machine and operable to generate said activation signal in response to said proximity signal.

28. The customer service machine of claim 27, wherein the indicator includes a first indicator to deter activity by the customer at the associated station and a second indicator to promote activity by the customer at the associated station.

29. The customer service machine of claim 28, in which the central processor issues control instructions to activate each of the plurality of stations, wherein said controller is further configured to receive the control instructions and to generate said activation signal in response to whether a control instruction has been issued to activate the corresponding station.

30. The customer service machine of claim 29, wherein:

the indicator includes a first indicator to deter activity by the customer at the associated station and a second indicator to promote activity by the customer at the associated station;

said first indicator is operable in response to an activation signal generated by said controller when no control instruction has been issued by the central processor to activate the corresponding station; and

said second indicator is operable in response to an activation signal generated by said controller when a control instruction has been issued by the central processor to activate the corresponding station

31. The customer service machine of claim 28, wherein said indicator is a visual indicator.

32. The customer service machine of claim 31, wherein said first indicator is a red light and said second indicator is a green light.