Apparatus for inputting commodity data

• US 5,207,294 A
• Filed: 08/21/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co.
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co.
• Inventors: Fujii, Nobuhiko, Kohno, Mitunori, Umebara, Takao, Kurimoto, Yukuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HIENZ III, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US07/747,953
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 186/61, 364/405, 235/462, 235/383, 235/145 R, 108/6, 108/9, 108/10, 248/371, 248/284, 248/291, 248/397, 248/921, 248/923, 248/918
• 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 inputting commodity data, comprising:

a bar code scanner having a reading window on a front surface thereof from which a scanning beam is projected;

a keyboard for inputting the commodity data, said keyboard being supported at an upper portion of said bar code scanner; and

a frame comprising a shaft for rotatably supporting said bar code scanner in such a manner that said bar code scanner can be rotated about a horizontal pivotal axis;

wherein;

said bar code scanner is rotatable from a substantially vertical position in which the reading window of the bar code scanner is vertically positioned for projecting the scanning beam from the reading window in a first direction selected from a horizontal direction and a direction downward from the horizontal direction, to a downward inclined position in which the reading window of the bar code scanner faces downward for projecting the scanning beam from the reading window in a second direction downward from the first direction.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said keyboard is rotatably mounted on said upper portion of said bar code scanner in such a manner as to be rotatable about a horizontal pivotal axis.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a customer'"'"'s display fixed to a rear surface of said frame in such a manner as to be opposed to a customer.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a cashier'"'"'s display connected to said bar code scanner and said keyboard and mounted to said frame at a position below said keyboard.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a cashier'"'"'s display located below said bar code scanner.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising a cashier'"'"'s display rotatably mounted to said frame in such a manner as to be rotatable about a horizontal pivotal axis.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said keyboard is pivotably mounted to said scanner.