Check-out device

• US 5,375,680 A
• Filed: 02/19/1993
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Akita, Hiromasa, Ikeda, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US08/019,859
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 186/61, 177/50, 235/383
• US Class Current: 186/61
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A check-out device includes an input section for inputting an article code recorded on an article, an entry conveyor for conveying an article put thereon after the article code is input, a weighing device for measuring the weight of the article put on the entry conveyor, an electronic cash register storing reference weights assigned to various articles along with article codes assigned to the various articles, for comparing the weight measured by the weighing device with reference weight of an article corresponding to the input article code, and performing registration and settlement of the article corresponding to the input article code when it is detected from a result of comparison that the article corresponding to the input article code is identical to one put on the entry conveyor. Particularly, the check-out device further includes a processing section for inhibiting a next article code from being input at least during a period from when the article code has been input until the article put on the entry conveyor is removed.

Claims

1. A check-out device comprising:

reading means for reading an article code recorded on an article;

conveyor means for conveying the article put thereon after the article code is read by said reading means;

weighing means for measuring the weight of the article put on said conveyor means;

electronic cash register means for storing reference weights assigned to various articles along with article codes assigned to the various articles, for comparing the weight measured by said weighing means with a reference weight of an article corresponding to the read article code, and for performing registration and settlement of the article corresponding to the read article code when it is detected from a result of comparison that the article corresponding to the read article code is identical to one put on said conveyor means; and

inhibiting means for inhibiting a next article code from being read at least during a period of time from when the article code has been read until the article put on said conveyor means is removed from said conveyor means.

2. A check-out device according to claim 1, wherein said inhibiting means includes:

sensor means for detecting that the article on the conveyor means has passed through an exit of the conveyor means, and

control means for disabling said reading means upon reading of the article code, and for thereafter enabling said reading means upon detection from the sensor means indicating that the article has passed through the exit of the conveyor means.

3. A check-out device according to claim 2, wherein said inhibiting means further includes notifying means for notifying that reading of a next article code is not acceptable when said reading means is disabled, and that reading of the next article code is acceptable when said reading means is enabled.

4. A check-out device according to claim 3, wherein said electronic cash register means includes checking means for checking whether a difference between the reference weight and the measured weight for a given article on the conveyor means falls within a predetermined range.

5. A check-out device according to claim 4, wherein said conveyor means includes a conveyor driven after registration of the article corresponding to the read article code.

6. A check-out device according to claim 1, wherein said reading means includes means for reading an article code and other data from an article.

7. A check-out device according to claim 6, wherein said inhibiting means includes:

changing means for detecting that a reference weight is read as the other data from the article by said reading means, and for causing the reference weight read from the article to be compared with the weight measured by said weighing means, instead of the reference weight data corresponding to the weighed article stored in said electronic cash register means.

8. A check-out device comprising:

reading means for reading an article code and a reference weight recorded on the article;

conveyor means for conveying the article put thereon after the article code is read by said reading means;

weighing means for measuring the weight of the article put on said conveyor means;

electronic cash register means for storing reference weights assigned to various articles along with article codes assigned to the various articles, for comparing the weight measured by said weighing means with a reference weight of an article corresponding to the read article code, and for performing registration and settlement of the article corresponding to the read article code when it is detected from a result of comparison that the article corresponding to the read article code is identical to one put on said conveyor means; and

changing means for detecting that a reference weight is read by said reading means, and for causing the read reference weight to be compared with the weight measured by said weighing means, instead of the reference weight data corresponding to the weighted article stored in said electronic cash register means.