APPARATUS AND METHOD TO FACILITATE SHOPPING

• US 3,749,191 A
• Filed: 03/23/1972
• Issued: 07/31/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard L. Carpenter, Ronald H.K. Ashen
• Original Assignee: Richard L. Carpenter, Ronald H.K. Ashen
• Inventors: Ashen, Ronald H. K., Carpenter, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Jr., George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/237,477
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 177/1,50 235/61A,91L
• US Class Current: 177/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/40 with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight indicating means for weighing apparatus G01G23/18; recording means for weighing apparatus G01G23/18; computers in general G06
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/52 Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture with walking sticks A45B3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A recorder for use by shoppers in a self-service store, having three sets of key banks for recording three groups of symbols, such as numerals, appearing on each item selected for purchase by the buyer. The recorder includes a mechanical verifier for determining the accuracy of the entries made in the recorder. The indicia appearing on each purchased item includes a coded number which, combined with the other two numbers of the indicia, must equal a predetermined total for the information to be recorded in the machine, and for restoring the keyboard to a condition ready to accept indicia appearing on the next purchased item. One of the other two numbers represents the price of the selected item while the other number represents the weight in ounces. When the indicia from all of the items selected for purchase are properly entered and totaled in the recorder, if the total weight of the selected items is correct, then the total price will be correct and may be paid by the customer without further checking or tallying of the purchases.

Claims

1. Means for expediting the movement of commodities comprising a weighing scale, a recorder having means for entering therein groups of symbols appearing on items selected for purchase, said recorder having means to prevent operation thereof except when the symbools of each group are entered correctly, means for comparing the total weight on the weighing scale with one group of symbols registered on the recorder, whereby if the total of the entry of one group of symbols representing weight corresponds with the correct total actual weight of the selected items, then the total of the entries of another group of said symbols constitutes the correct total cost of said items.

2. Means as defined by claim 1, and a cart for supporting and conveying the selected items and the recorder and by which the items are conveyed onto a platform of the scale for weighing.

3. Means as defined by claim 1, and a cart for supporting and conveying the recorder and the selected items, said weighing scale including a platform mounted on and supported by the cart chassis and a receptacle for supporting the selected items mounted on and supported by said platform.

4. A method of expedition the movement of commodities comprising selecting items to be purchased, entering groups of sybmols appearing on each item into a recorder, weighing the selected items to determine if the actual total weight thereof corresponds to the total of one group of symbols to determine if the total of another group of the symbols constitutes the correct total price of the selected items, and entering for each item a third check symbol to prevent operation of the recorder if the total of the symbols entered for any one item does not equal a pre-selected total symbol.