Automatic package label scanner
First Claim
1. An automatic scanner for automatically scanning bar code labels of selected items substantially without an attendant, comprising:
- item conveyor means for automatically moving items through an item path including a scan region,bar code laser scanner means for scanning with one or more laser beams a volume of space in which an item bar code label might be located, including means for scanning for the label on substantially all surfaces of the item,item gate means for determining the presence of an item on the product conveyor means as the item reaches a preselected point in the item scan path and for determining whether the item has exited the scan region at the time a succeeding item approaches the scan region, and for inhibiting the progress of the succeeding item until the first item has exited the scan region and then enabling the succeeding item to continue its movement into the scan region, anddecoding means for receiving signals from the scanning of the bar code labels and for compiling data relating to the items whose bar codes have been read and for preparing a tabulation of said items.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A point of sale bar code scanner, such as a grocery store check-out label scanner, that is attendant-free and completely automated in providing a listing or a total pricing of a customer'"'"'s selected items. At each automated check-out, the customer initiates the process, places items on a conveyor, which carries each item separately through a scanner. The scanner reads all sides of each package, including the bottom of the package, since the bar code label could be located on any surface. Serial conveyors are used, and gates preferably control the advancement of items onto a conveyor which will carry the item through the scanning area, such that only one item can be scanned at a time. The conveyor in the scanning area includes a series of belt strips through which an upwardly scanned beam can read the package bottom. Various methods and systems are disclosed for handling "no reads". The customer signifies termination of the process at the appropriate time. In the process the customer receives some sort of identification tag.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An automatic scanner for automatically scanning bar code labels of selected items substantially without an attendant, comprising:
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item conveyor means for automatically moving items through an item path including a scan region, bar code laser scanner means for scanning with one or more laser beams a volume of space in which an item bar code label might be located, including means for scanning for the label on substantially all surfaces of the item, item gate means for determining the presence of an item on the product conveyor means as the item reaches a preselected point in the item scan path and for determining whether the item has exited the scan region at the time a succeeding item approaches the scan region, and for inhibiting the progress of the succeeding item until the first item has exited the scan region and then enabling the succeeding item to continue its movement into the scan region, and decoding means for receiving signals from the scanning of the bar code labels and for compiling data relating to the items whose bar codes have been read and for preparing a tabulation of said items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13)
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12. A bar code scanning device for reading bar codes on the bottom surfaces of items being advanced through an item movement path, comprising:
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a belt type conveyor comprising a plurality of spaced parallel belt strips having gaps between the belt strips providing an unobstructed line of view of the bottom surfaces of items on the conveyor from below, with conveyor rollers supporting the conveyor at spaced locations, bar code laser scanner means for scanning a laser beam in a plurality of scanning planes extending between the belt strips in said gaps so as to define scanning lines at the conveyor surface parallel to and between the belt strips, and for scanning a laser beam in a generally vertical plane perpendicular to the belt strips and parallel to an axis of one of said conveyor rollers and closely adjacent to the conveyor at said one conveyor roller, and the distance between parallel scanning lines on either side of a belt strip being sufficiently small as to assure that a UPC bar code printed on the bottom of an item can be read by the laser scanning means between the belt strips when the UPC bar code is at 45°
to said scanning lines between the belt strips,whereby bar codes oriented at 45°
or greater to the scanning lines between the belt strips can be read between the belt strips, and bar codes oriented at 45°
can be read in said plane perpendicular to the belt strips and adjacent to the conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An automatic scanner for scanning a beam across bar codes of items moving through the scanner, substantially without a skilled attendant, comprising:
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item conveyor means for receiving items placed thereon and for automatically moving the items through an item path including a scan region, bar code scanner means for scanning with a beam a volume of space in which a product bar code label might be located, including means for scanning in multiple directions to read the label which might be located on any of a number of different surfaces on the item, display means for issuing instructions to a customer for the use of the scanner, including for initiating the scanning process, item exclusion means for assuring that only one item will be capable of being read and recorded at any one time, decoding means for receiving signals from the scanning of the bar code labels and for compiling data related to the items whose bar codes have been read and for preparing a tabulation of such items, no read handling means for indicating when an item is not read on passing through the scan region, and means for terminating the scanning process. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A bar code label scanning apparatus for scanning and reading bar codes located on the bottom surfaces of items moving along an item movement path, comprising:
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a scan region conveyor comprising a series of spaced parallel endless belt strips, with a gap between adjacent belt strips providing an unobstructed elongated window of view from below of a portion of the bottom surface of an item supported on and moving with the belt strips, with rollers supporting the belt strips at forward and rearward ends of the upper surface of the scan region conveyor, bar code laser scanner means for scanning a laser beam upwardly in a plurality of generally vertical scanning planes extending between the belt strips in said gaps so as to define at the upper conveyor surface a plurality of scanning lines parallel to and between the belt strips, and further for scanning a laser beam upwardly in a transverse plane adjacent to one end of the scan region conveyor to define at the upper conveyor surface a transverse scanning line with respect to the plurality of parallel scanning lines, and the spacing between adjacent ones of said plurality of parallel scanning lines being sufficiently small as to substantially assure that, taking into consideration the speed of movement of the conveyor and the repetition rate of the transverse scanning line, all orientations of a bottom-located UPC bar code labels which are not read by the transverse scanning line will be read by one of the plurality of parallel scanning lines. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A depth of field enhancement system for a bar code label scanner having a laser source for producing a beam and a scanning mechanism for scanning the beam toward a scan region within which a bar code label is to be read, comprising,
a pair of separate laser sources comprising two independent lasers, each producing a laser beam, beam combining means for superimposing the two laser beams substantially on a single beam path, the beams oriented in the same direction, focusing means associated with each of the laser beams, including first beam focusing means for focusing the first beam to converge to a first focal plane at a first position in space and second beam focusing means for focusing the second beam to converge to a second focal plane at a second position in space, spaced from the first focal plane, each beam having a beam waist sufficiently focused to resolve a standard UPC bar code, and the two focal planes of the two beams being spaced at a distance such that most of the beam waist of the second beam is non-coextensive from the beam waist of the first beam so as to generally add the two beam waists to produce a longer effective bar code resolving depth of field than the beam waist of either beam.
Specification