SELF-CHECKOUT TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFORE

• US 20110210168A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Haibara, Takuzo
• Granted Patent: US 8,256,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a self-checkout terminal includes a reading unit, a registration processing unit, a determining unit, a checking unit, and a settlement processing unit. The reading unit reads a data code. The registration processing unit acquires sales limitation information. The determining unit determines, according to the limitation information, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation. The checking unit transmits, when it is determined that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, data for checking whether a limit condition is satisfied and determines whether data of completion of the check is returned. The settlement processing unit inhibits shift to settlement processing for the commodity subjected to the sales limitation and enables, when the checking unit determines that the data of the completion of the check is received, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and subjects the commodity to the settlement processing.

Claims

1. A self-checkout terminal comprising:

a reading unit configured to read a data code attached to a commodity;

a registration processing unit configured to acquire, on the basis of the data code read by the reading unit, at least price information and sales limitation information of the commodity attached with the data code;

a limitation determining unit configured to determine, according to the sales limitation information acquired by the registration processing unit, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation;

a limitation checking unit configured to transmit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, data for urging a check concerning whether a condition for the sales limitation is satisfied to an outside and determine whether data of completion of the check is returned from the outside; and

a settlement processing unit configured to inhibit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, shift to settlement processing for the commodity and enable, if the limitation checking unit determines that the data of the completion of the check is received from the outside, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and execute the settlement processing on the basis of the price information of the commodity.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the limitation checking unit determines, after processing by the registration processing unit in one commercial transaction ends, whether the data of the completion of the check is returned from the outside.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the limitation checking unit can change time for determining whether the data of the completion of the check is returned from the outside to one of time when the price information and the sales limitation information are acquired by the registration processing unit and time when processing by the registration processing unit is completed for all commodities sold in one commercial transaction.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the limitation checking unit notifies, while waiting for the data of the completion of the check returned from the outside, that the limitation checking unit is checking whether the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display with touch panel configured to display a button for instructing execution of the settlement processing by the settlement processing unit, wherein

the settlement processing unit inhibits, while the limitation checking unit waits for the data of the completion of the check returned from the outside, shift to the settlement processing for the commodity by inactivating the button and enables, if the limitation checking unit receives the data of the completion of the check, the shift to the settlement processing by activating the button and executes the settlement processing according to a touch on the button.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the limitation checking unit permits, if once determining that the data of the completion of the check is returned from the outside, the settlement processing for all commodities subjected to the registration processing in a commercial transaction;

and

the settlement processing unit executes, if the limitation checking unit permits the settlement processing, the settlement processing for all the commodities subjected to the registration processing in the commercial transaction.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a cancelling unit configured to cancel, if the limitation checking unit determines that the data of the completion of the check is not returned from the outside, sales of the commodity subjected to the sales limitation.

8. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the limitation checking unit transmits, every time the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, the data for urging the check to the outside and, after processing by the registration processing unit is completed for all commodities sold in one commercial transaction, transmits, if determining that the data of the completion of the check is not returned from the outside, the data for urging the check to the outside again.

9. A self-checkout terminal comprising:

an operation unit;

a reading unit configured to read a data code attached to a commodity;

a registration processing unit configured to acquire, on the basis of the data code read by the reading unit, at least price information and sales limitation information of the commodity attached with the data code;

a limitation determining unit configured to determine, according to the sales limitation information acquired by the registration processing unit, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation;

a first checking unit configured to transmit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, data for urging a check concerning whether a condition for the sales limitation is satisfied to an outside and determine whether data of completion of the check is returned from the outside;

a second checking unit configured to determine, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, whether indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied is input by the operation unit;

a setting unit configured to set processing of one of the first checking unit and the second checking unit to be valid; and

a settlement processing unit configured to inhibit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, shift to settlement processing for the commodity and, if the processing by the first checking unit is set to be valid, enable, if the first checking unit determines that the data of the completion of the check is received from the outside, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and execute the settlement processing on the basis of the price information of the commodity and, if the processing by the second checking unit is set to be valid, enable, if indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied is input by the operation unit, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and execute the settlement processing on the basis of the price information of the commodity,

10. A control method for a self-checkout terminal that subjects a commodity to sales processing according to operation of a customer herself or himself, the control method comprising:

acquiring, on the basis of an input data code, at least price information and sales limitation information of a commodity attached with the data code;

determining, according to the acquired sales limitation information, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation;

transmitting, if it is determined that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, data for urging a check concerning whether a condition for the sales limitation is satisfied to an outside and determining whether data of completion of the check is returned from the outside; and

inhibiting, if it is determined that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, shift to settlement processing for the commodity and enabling, if it is determined that the data of the completion of the check is received from the outside, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and executing the settlement processing on the basis of the price information of the commodity.