CHECKOUT TERMINAL
First Claim
1. A checkout terminal, comprising:
- a loading conveyor section arranged to receive and convey product items which are loaded onto the loading conveyor section in use;
a scanner arranged to scan the product items conveyed by the loading conveyor section;
a transfer conveyor section arranged to transfer the product items away from the loading conveyor section; and
a plurality of packing stations each arranged to selectively receive product items from the transfer conveyor section according to a currently selected delivery path;
wherein the loading conveyor section, the transfer conveyor section and the plurality of packing stations are provided as a plurality of separate modular sections.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A checkout terminal for customers in a retail store. The terminal provides a path for products from a loading conveyor section, via a scanning section and a common transfer conveyor section, to reach a respective one of a plurality of plurality of packing stations to be bagged or packed by or for the customer. Conveniently, three of these packing stations are arranged substantially parallel to each other. Each packing station may be associated with a corresponding payment interface. Customer throughput is increased by providing multiple packing areas associated with one loading and scanning area, and customer convenience is improved by the faster and more efficient configuration of the checkout terminal.
9 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A checkout terminal, comprising:
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a loading conveyor section arranged to receive and convey product items which are loaded onto the loading conveyor section in use; a scanner arranged to scan the product items conveyed by the loading conveyor section; a transfer conveyor section arranged to transfer the product items away from the loading conveyor section; and a plurality of packing stations each arranged to selectively receive product items from the transfer conveyor section according to a currently selected delivery path; wherein the loading conveyor section, the transfer conveyor section and the plurality of packing stations are provided as a plurality of separate modular sections. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of operating a checkout terminal, comprising:
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activating the terminal ready to be used by a current customer; configuring a product diversion mechanism to construct a product diversion route which reaches a selected one of a plurality of packing stations from a loading conveyor section via a transfer conveyor section; receiving one or more products which are loaded onto the checkout terminal by the customer; scanning the products by a scanner located on the product diversion route; moving the products of the customer along the product diversion route until all of the loaded products have been transferred to the selected packing station; and reconfiguring the product diversion mechanism so that subsequent products of a next customer are routed to another of the plurality of packing stations. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification