Automated point-of-sale machine

• US 5,083,638 A
• Filed: 09/18/1990
• Issued: 01/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optimal Robotics Corporation (7293411 Canada, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Howard Schneider
• Inventors: Schneider, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US07/584,104
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 186/61, 235/383, 364/466, 177/25.15, 177/50
• US Class Current: 186/61
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/048 automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0072 with means for detecting the weight of the article of which the code is read, for the verification of the registration weighing combined with recording means, e.g. in weighing scale, G01G19/415

Abstract

An automated retail point-of-sale machine is disclosed having the ability to allow consumers to check out their purchases with a minimal of direct human assistance. The machine is designed to work with products whether labelled or not with machine readable bar codes. The machine possess security features which deter customers from fraudulently bagging items by comparing the weight changes on the packing scale with the product number related information in the case of labelleled products. In the case of nonlabelled products, experienced customers can identify the product through a series of menu choices while beginner customers can allow the supervisory employee to enter a product number abbreviated code, with additional visual and/or dimensional sensory information of the contents being relayed to a supervisory employee. The machine allows high shopper efficiency by minimizing customer handling of products by positioning the packing scale adjacent to the scanner and typically not requiring further handling of the purchased items until checkout is completed.

Claims

1. A self-service checkout system comprising:

(a) a robot module;

(b) a laser bar code scanner mounted in said robot module for generating a first electrical signal corresponding to the bar code scanned;

(c) a packing scale mounted in said robot module for generating a second electrical signal corresponding to the weight on said packing scale where said packing scale is mounted in proximity to the said laser bar code scanner such that a customer can scan and bag a product with one motion;

(d) attachments on the said packing scale to hold bags open and in place;

(e) a first video display mounted in said robot module;

(f) first user interface means operating in proximity to said first video display generating a third electrical signal;

(g) a sensor mounted above the said packing scale where said sensor generates a fourth electrical signal representative of the external characteristics of the contents of the packing bags;

(h) a supervisor module to be used by a supervisory employee to supervise the operation of said robot module;

(i) second user interface means mounted in the said supervisor module generating a fifth electrical signal;

(j) a second video display mounted in said supervisor module;

(k) an electronic computer having access to a product lookup table and receiving said first, second, third, fourth and fifth electrical signals, and sending a sixth electrical signal to said first video display and a seventh electrical signal to said second video display;

(l) a computer program causing said electronic computer in the case of a product containing a machine readable bar code, to look up, in response to said first electrical signal, in the said product lookup table the allowable weight for the product and to verify correspondence with the weight addition on the said packing scale as indicated by the said second electrical signal, and in the case of a product without a valid machine readable bar code to present the customer, via said sixth electrical signal via said first video display, with a series of choices to identify the product, via said first user interface means via said third electrical signal, including the option of requesting the said supervisory employee, via said seventh electrical signal via said second display means, to identify the product via said second user interface means via said fifth electrical signal and optionally in response to said sensed external characteristics as indicated by said fourth electrical signal; and

(m) a storage scale mounted in close proximity to the said packing scale so that when the said packing scale becomes filled, products and their bags can be transferred to said storage scale which generates an eighth electrical signal which is received and surveyed by the said electronic computer to ensure that no unauthorized products are fraudulently placed on or in the bags on the said storage scale.

2. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 in which a communication link exists between the robot module and the supervisor module to allow communication between the customer and the said supervisory employee.

3. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 containing a television camera and monitor to allow the supervisory employee to verify that before the customer removes his products from the said robot module that no products have been fraudulently put aside.

4. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 containing a receipt printer attached to the said electronic computer to produce a printed list of the customer'"'"'s purchases and total payment requested.

5. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 whereby said electronic computer contains a human voice generating circuit.

6. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 whereby the said robot module contains a payment reader capable of reading forms of payment characterized by credit cards, debit cards and currency, where such payment reader generates an electrical signal which is received and surveyed by said electronic computer.

7. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 where said electronic computer contains circuitry to allow communications with other electronic computers.

8. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 containing a television camera and monitor to allow the supervisory employee to verify that before the customer removes his products from the said robot module that no products have been fraudulently put aside and containing a monitor visible to the customer to make the customer aware that his/her actions are being surveyed.

9. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 whereby the supervisor module contains a cash drawer.

10. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 whereby the robot module contains angles, sealed surfaces.

11. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 where the said sensor mounted above the packing scale generates high resolution color images of the product in the packing bags.

12. The self-service checkout system of claim 1 where the said sensor mounted above the packing scale contains ultrasonic transducers generating said fourth electrical signal which is representative of the distances from the said sensor to the top of the contents in the packing bags and thus allows the said electronic computer to compute the increase in volume of the contents of the bags on the said packing scale after an item is placed in said bags and to verify correspondence of the thus net volume of the product with the volume specified in the said product lookup table for that particular product.

13. A self-service checkout system comprising:

(a) a robot module;

(b) a laser bar code scanner mounted in said robot module for generating a first electrical signal corresponding to the bar code scanned;

(c) a packing scale mounted in said robot module for generating a second electrical signal corresponding to the weight on said packing scale where said packing scale is mounted in proximity to the said laser bar code scanner such that a customer can scan and bag a product with one motion;

(d) attachments on the said packing scale to hold bags open and in place;

(e) a first video display mounted in said robot module;

(f) first user interface means operating in proximity to said first video display generating a third electrical signal;

(g) a sensor mounted above the said packing scale where said sensor generates a fourth electrical signal representative of the external characteristics of the contents of the packing bags;

(h) a supervisor module to be used by a supervisory employee to supervise the operation of said robot module;

(i) second user interface means mounted in the said supervisor module generating a fifth electrical signal;

(j) a second video display mounted in said supervisor module;

(k) an electronic computer having access to a product lookup table and receiving said first, second, third, fourth and fifth electrical signals, and sending a sixth electrical signal to said first video display and a seventh electrical signal to said second video display;

(l) a computer program causing said electronic computer in the case of a product containing a machine readable bar code, to look up, in response to said first electrical signal, in the said product lookup table the allowable weight for the product and to verify correspondence with the weight addition on the said packing scale as indicated by the said second electrical signal, and in the case of a product without a valid machine readable bar code to present the customer, via said sixth electrical signal via said first video display, with a series of choices to identify the product, via said first user interface means via said third electrical signal, including the option of requesting the said supervisory employee, via said seventh electrical signal via said second display means, to identify the product via said second user interface means via said fifth electrical signal and optionally in response to said sensed external characteristics as indicated by said fourth electrical signal; and

(m) in proximity to the said packing scale a three-dimensional array of light beams and light detectors generating an eighth electrical signal which is received by the said electronic computer where interruption of the said light beams by the customer'"'"'s hand transferring a product to the packing scale and by the customer'"'"'s empty hand leaving the packing scale causes the said electronic computer to subtract the computed dimensions of the customer'"'"'s hand alone from the computed dimensions of the customer'"'"'s hand holding the product and to verify correspondence of the thus net dimensions of the product with the dimensions specified in the said product lookup table for that particular product.