RETAIL CHECKOUT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20100161434A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: White, Daniel F., Herwig, Nathaniel Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• 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 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

A near field communication (NFC) based checkout system comprises an NFC enabled mobile telephone that reads product data from an NFC tag associated with a product. The mobile telephone updates a shopping list when the consumer scans an item. The consumer uploads the shopping list at a payment terminal at the checkout via an NFC link. The payment terminal connects with a price look up (PLU) database and downloads the price data for the items in the shopping list to provide a total price. The payment terminal requests authorisation of the total price from the consumer'"'"'s financial authorisation.

Claims

1. A self-checkout system comprising:

at least one NFC tag; and

a near field communication enabled mobile device;

the at least one NFC tag comprising an antenna and a tag processor storing data related to a product associated with the at least one NFC tag;

the mobile device comprising an NFC communication module and a mobile processor;

wherein

the NFC communication module is arranged to output an interrogation signal and the antenna being arranged to receive the interrogation signal and to pass the interrogation signal to the tag processor which is arranged to pass the product data related to a product associated with the at least one NFC tag to the antenna in response to receiving the interrogation signal;

the antenna being further arranged to transmit the product data such that the product data is received by the NFC communications module; and

the NFC communications module being arranged to pass the product data to the mobile processor, the mobile processor being arranged to update a list data structure representing a list of items purchased by a user of the mobile device in response to receiving the product data.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a retail server which further comprises a server processor, a data storage device and a server wireless transceiver and wherein the NFC enabled mobile device comprises a further wireless transceiver be arranged to transmit request data indicative of the product associated with the NFC tag to the retail server via a wireless network, in response to the mobile processor receiving the product data and wherein the server processor is arranged to extract pricing data for the product associated with the NFC tag from a price look up (PLU) database stored on the data storage device in response to receiving the request data and wherein the server wireless transceiver is arranged to transmit the pricing data to the NFC enabled device over the wireless network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile processor is arranged to update a price entry in the list data structure in response to receiving the pricing data via the further wireless transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein, the mobile processor is arranged to sum price entries in the list data structure such that a total price entry is generated in the list data structure.

5. The system of claim 1 comprising a payment terminal further comprising an NFC transceiver unit wherein the NFC enable mobile device is arranged to copy the list data structure to the payment terminal via an NFC link there between and wherein the payment terminal is arranged to debit a user'"'"'s account by an amount corresponding to a total price entry in the list data structure.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag processor is arranged to store pricing data, associated with the item, locally, and is arranged to transmit the pricing data via the antenna, in response to receiving the interrogation signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile processor is arranged to determine whether the product corresponding to the product data is included on within the list data structure and to create an entry corresponding to said product in the list data structure if it is not.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile processor is arranged to connect to a remote server via a mobile telecommunications network in response to receiving the product data and is further arranged to interrogate the remote server for pricing data related to a comparable product to that described by the product data, wherein the pricing data of the comparable product is uploaded to the mobile processor and displayed on a screen of the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the remote server appends discount data indicative of a pricing discount from the comparable product to the pricing data prior to upload to the mobile processor.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the NFC enabled mobile device comprises any of the following:

mobile telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), electronic wallet, smartcard, smart watch, wearable computer.

11. A method of self-checkout comprising the steps of:

i) outputting an interrogation signal from an NFC communication module of a mobile device;

ii) receiving the interrogation signal at an antenna of an NFC tag;

iii) passing the interrogation signal to a tag processor of the NFC tag;

iv) passing product data related to a product associated with the at least one NFC tag from the tag processor to the antenna in response to reception of the interrogation signal at the tag processor;

v) transmitting the product data via the antenna such that the product data is received by the NFC communications module of the mobile device;

vi) passing the product data to the mobile processor; and

vii) updating a list data structure stored at the mobile processor, the list data structure representing a list of items purchased by a user of the mobile device, in response to receiving the product data.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising summing all price entries in a list data structure such that a total price entry is generated in the list data structure.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising copying the list data structure to a pricing terminal via an NFC link there between and debiting a user'"'"'s account by an amount corresponding to a total price entry in the list data structure by the pricing terminal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a tag processor is arranged to store pricing data, associated with the item, locally, and to transmit the pricing data via the antenna, in response to receiving an interrogation signal.

19. An NFC enabled mobile device comprising a processor arranged to execute the software of claim 13.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the mobile device comprises any of the following:

mobile telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), electronic wallet, Smart phone, smartcard, smart watch, wearable computer.

15. Software which when executed upon a processor of a mobile device causes the processor to update a list data structure stored at the mobile processor, the list data structure representing a list of items purchased by a user of the mobile device, in response to receiving product data associated with a product from an NFC communications module of the mobile device.

16. Software according to claim 15 which, when executed on the processor, causes the processor to update a price entry in the list data structure in response to receiving the pricing data via the further wireless transceiver.

17. Software according to claim 15 which, when executed on the processor, causes the processor to sum all price entries in a list data structure such that a total price entry is generated in the list data structure.

18. Software according to claim 15 which, when executed on the processor causes the processor to output a copy of the list data structure via the NFC communications module to a payment terminal.