Station for price scanning verifying and selectively bagging purchase items

• US 5,437,346 A
• Filed: 05/11/1994
• Issued: 08/01/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dumont, Charles
• Original Assignee: Dumont, Charles
• Inventors: Dumont, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US08/241,354
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 186/61, 186/66, 235/383
• US Class Current: 186/61
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/042 Shopping bags or carton-dispensing systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/043 with mechanical action
• 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: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

To be used with a purchase monitoring device which is utilized to scan a bar code of an item to be purchased and obtain store and purchase information relative to the item to be purchased, a purchase checkout station which has a monitor cradle to receive the purchase monitoring device in data transmitting communication with a data transmission connector within the monitor cradle such that the purchase and pricing information regarding the items to be purchased can be transmitted to the purchase checkout station for totalling and storage. The purchase checkout station including a verification platform whereon each item to be purchased is individually placed and verified as an item which has been scanned and whose pricing and purchase information has been transmitted to the checkout station, whereafter the verification platform is moved to an open position enabling the verified item to be purchased, and only that item, to be placed into an automatically positioned and opened bag which receives a predetermined quantity of items to be purchased therein and is sealed for secured removal by the consumer subsequent to payment.

Claims

1. To be used with a purchase monitoring device which is utilized to scan a bar code of an item to be purchased and obtain and store pricing and purchase information relative to the item to be purchased, a purchase checkout station comprising:

a monitor cradle structured and disposed to receive and hold the purchase monitoring device,

said monitor cradle including a data input connection disposed in information receiving and transmitting communication with data transmission connector of the purchase monitoring device,

said data input connection structured and disposed to receive the pricing and purchase information relative to the items to be purchased from the purchase monitoring device,

data processing means structured and disposed to store and total the pricing and purchase information of all of the items to be purchased,

display means structured and disposed to display the pricing and purchase information regarding the items to be purchased and the pricing totals regarding all of the items to be purchased to a user,

a verification platform structured and disposed to receive each of the items to be purchased individually thereon,

verification means structured and disposed to verify that the item to be purchased placed on said verification platform has been scanned with the purchase monitoring device so as to store the purchase and pricing information relative to the item to be purchased in the purchase monitoring device, and that the pricing and purchase information relative to the item has been transmitted from the purchase monitoring device to the data processing means,

bagging means structured and disposed to position an empty bag in an open position such that it will receive the item to be purchased, and only that item, therein from said verification platform, upon positive verification of the item to be purchased by said verification means, said bagging means being further structured to enable only a predetermined quantity of said items to be purchased to be disposed in said bag.

2. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 1 wherein said bagging means includes bag sealing means structured and disposed to seal the bag in a closed position subsequent to said predetermined quantity of said verified items to be purchased being positioned in the bag.

3. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 2 including a stopper panel structured and disposed to slide said verified items to be purchased from said verification platform into said bag.

4. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 3 wherein said verification platform is slidingly disposed above said open bag such that upon slided movement of said verification platform beneath said stopper panel, said item to be purchased on said verification platform will contact said stopper panel and slide off of said verification platform into said bag upon continued slided movement of said verification platform beneath said stopper panel.

5. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 4 wherein said verification means are disposed in said verification platform.

6. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 1 wherein said bagging means includes:

a bag reserve structured and disposed to contain a plurality of empty bags,

automatic dispensing means structured to position one of said empty bags from the bag reserve to said open, item receiving position beneath said verification platform, and

removal means structured and disposed to move a full one of the bags from beneath the verification platform to a dispensing position.

7. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 6 including bag sealing means structured and disposed to seal the bag in a closed position subsequent to said predetermined quantity of said verified items to be purchased being positioned in the bag.

8. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 2 including bag load checking means structured and disposed to detect when said predetermined quantity of verified items to be purchased have been positioned in one of the bags and direct said bag sealing means to seal the bag.

9. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 8 wherein said bag load checking means includes a scale disposed beneath the bag under said verification platform, said scale measuring a weight of items in the bag and detect when a maximum weight capacity of the bag, which corresponds said predetermined quantity of verified items to be purchased, is reached.

10. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 8 wherein said bag load checking means includes an optic fill height meter structured and disposed to measure a height of items in the bag and detect when a maximum height capacity of the bag, which corresponds said predetermined quantity of verified items to be purchased, is reached.

11. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 8 including load shock absorption means structured and disposed to cushion positioning of said verified items to be purchased in the bag.

12. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 11 pg,26 wherein said load shock absorption means includes a cushioned, vertically moveable platform which is elevated to lift a bottom of the bag upward towards said verification platform, and gradually lower as said items to be purchased are slidingly positioned into said bag from said verification platform.

13. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 1 including a monitor receptacle beneath said monitor cradle, said monitor receptacle being structured to automatically and securely receive the purchase monitoring device therein subsequent to transmission of the pricing and purchase information relative to the items to be purchased from the purchase monitoring device to said data processing means.

14. A purchase checkout station as recited in claim 1 further including payment receiving means structured and disposed to receive an appropriate payment corresponding the totaled cost of all of the items to be purchased as scanned by the portable purchase monitoring device and transmitted to the data processing means.