Self-checkout, point-of-transaction system including removable, electro-optically coded surveillance tags

• US 5,814,799 A
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Tracy, William, Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US08/747,553
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 340/551, 340/572, 235/383, 235/462
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/242 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5004 For antitheft signaling device on protected article

Abstract

A self-check apparatus is provided for processing a sales transaction of an article having an attached surveillance tag, each attached surveillance tag bearing a coded indicia such as a bar code. The self-checkout apparatus stores an indication of the articles which have been selected for purchase. When the surveillance tag is presented to the apparatus for deactivation, the bar code on the tag is scanned, and a check is made to verify that the surveillance tag is attached to an article which has been selected for purchase, and provided such verification is made, the surveillance tag is deactivated.

Claims

1. A point of-transaction system for processing articles having attached surveillance tags, each surveillance tag having an activated state and a deactivated state, each of the surveillance tags bearing coded indicia and being initially in an activated state, the point-of-transaction system defining a deactivated region in space in which only one of the surveillance tags at a given time may be positioned in order to change the surveillance tag from an activated state into a deactivated state, the system comprising:

a) a plurality of surveillance tags, each surveillance tag being attached to one of a plurality of articles available for purchase, each tag bearing coded indicia;

b) a deactivator for deactivating a selected one of the plurality surveillance tags positioned in the deactivation region;

c) a reader for electro-optically reading the indicia on the selected one of the plurality of tags while the tag is positioned in the deactivation region and when a reader activation signal is obtained; and

d) a controller for detecting when the deactivator deactivates the selected one of the plurality of tags and for forming a reader activation signal.

2. An apparatus for processing an article having an attached surveillance tag, where the surveillance tag bears a light-reflective coded indicia, comprising:

a) a deactivator for deactivating the surveillance tag;

b) an activatable reader for electro-optically reading the indicia on the surveillance tag; and

c) a controller for detecting when the deactivator deactivates the surveillance tag and for activating the reader to read the indicia on the surveillance tag.

3. A method of confirming deactivation of a surveillance tag which is attached to an article, the surveillance tag having an activated state and a deactivated state, the surveillance tag initially having an activated state which can be changed to the deactivated state when the surveillance tag is placed in a deactivation region, the surveillance tag bearing a coded indicia, the method comprising the steps of:

a) positioning the surveillance tag in the deactivation region;

b) changing the state of the surveillance tag positioned in the deactivation region from the activated state to the deactivated state;

c) detecting when the surveillance tag positioned in the deactivation region is changed from the activated state to the deactivated state and forming a positive deactivation signal; and

d) reading electro-optically the indicia on the surveillance tag positioned in the deactivation region, said reading being responsive to the positive deactivation signal.