Apparatus for inputting commodity data

• US 5,183,135 A
• Filed: 11/15/1991
• Issued: 02/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujii, Nobuhiko, Kohno, Mitunori, Umebara, Takao, Kurimoto, Yukuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bucci, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HIENZ III, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US07/792,625
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 186/61, 248/157, 248/404, 248/188.5, 248/918, 235/462, 235/383, 364/405, 354/293
• US Class Current: 186/61
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/046 Arrangement of recording means in or on check-out counters record carriers or readers per se G06K
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code

Abstract

An apparatus for inputting commodity data including a bar code scanner having a reading window on a front surface thereof, a keyboard for inputting the commodity data which keyboard is supported at an upper portion of the bar code scanner, and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the bar code scanner in such a manner that the bar code scanner can be rotated about a horizontal pivotal axis. The bar code scanner can be rotated according to the kind of a commodity or the height of a cashier. Accordingly, a bar code of the commodity can be placed to a laser beam scanning area by the cashier in a natural posture, and can be read by the bar code scanner reliably and easily.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reading commodity data, comprising:

a bar code scanner;

a keyboard rotatably mounted on an upper portion of said bar code scanner;

a frame for rotatably supporting at least said bar code scanner, said frame comprising first and second oppositely disposed supporting posts such that said bar code scanner is rotatably supported between said first and second supporting posts;

a connecting member for connecting lower portions of said supporting posts, said supporting posts being telescopically movably mounted to said connecting member so as to permit the relative movement of the supporting posts with respect to the connecting member, said supporting posts and said connecting member comprising means for selectively adjusting the height of said supporting posts with respect to said connecting member;

a lifting mechanism connected to said connecting member for vertically lifting said connecting member and said frame; and

a driving source for driving said lifting mechanism.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said driving source is provided with an operating pedal located aside said bar code scanner and below a sacker table on which commoditars are placed.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for selectively adjusting the height of said supporting posts with respect to said connecting member comprises elongate hole means and a plurality of set hole means formed on each of said supporting posts which can be aligned with a plurality of tapped hole means formed on said connecting member, wherein the height of said supporting posts with respect to said connecting member can be adjusted over a distance defined by said elongate hole means, and screw means are inserted into aligned elongate hole means and tapped hole means, and aligned set hole means and tapped hole means, for vertically locking the supporting posts at a selected height.