Plastic bag dispensing apparatus for supermarkets incorporating devices for the registering of the purchased items

• US 5,191,749 A
• Filed: 10/25/1991
• Issued: 03/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AWAX Progettazione E Ricerca SRL
• Original Assignee: AWAX Progettazione E Ricerca SRL
• Inventors: Rimondi, Renato, Cappi, Angelo
• Primary Examiner(s): Culver, Horace M.
• Application Number:
  US07/782,140
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 53/567, 53/77, 53/502, 53/52, 53/570, 53/75, 53/390
• US Class Current: 53/502
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/042 Shopping bags or carton-dispensing systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

Apparatus for self-service scanning, registering and bagging a product purchased in a supermarket. The apparatus comprises a unit (1) for dispensing and opening a single plastic bag from a continuous strip wound in a reel, a balance (2) for weighing the item to be purchased, a reel supporting device (3) which feeds the strip of bags to the dispensing and opening unit (1), and a unit comprising a scanner (6) and a computer (7).

Claims

1. Apparatus for self-serving scanning, registering and bagging a product purchased in a supermarket, the product having product information concerning the product imprinted on a label on packaging of the product, comprising:

a bag dispensing and opening unit (1) for dispensing and opening a single flexible bag from a continuous web of successively joined, preformed flexible bags;

a reel supporting unit (3) for supporting the continuous web of flexible bags and for feeding the web to said bag dispensing and opening unit (1);

a balance (2) for determining the actual weight of the product and for providing and output indicating the actual weight of the product; and

a scanning and computing unit comprising a computer (7) and a scanner (6), said scanner (6) detecting the product information imprinted on the label on the packaging of the product and transmitting the product information to the computer (7) said computer (7) using the product information detected by said scanner (6) to determine a projected weight of the product, said computer (7) receiving the output from the balance (2) indicating actual weight of the product, said computer (7) comparing the actual weight of the product to the projected weight of the product, and said computer (7) providing an output indicating whether the actual weight of the product exeeds a predetermined deviation from the projected weight of the product.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scanner (6) is disabled when said computer (7) determines that the actual weight of the product exceeds a predetermined deviation from the projected weight of the product.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scanner (6) is disabled after said scanner (6) has detected information imprinted on the label on the packaging of the product and wherein said scanner (6) is enabled after said balance (2) determines the actual weight of the product and after said computer (7) determines that the actual weight of the product is within a predetermined deviation from the projected weight of the product.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bag dispensing and opening unit (1), said reel supporting unit (3), said balance (2) and said scanning and computing unit are four assemblable units.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said balance (2) supports said bag dispensing and opening unit (1).