Point-of-sale site with card reader

• US 5,889,268 A
• Filed: 06/17/1997
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Swartz, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Gross, Anita Pellman
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Douglas X.
• Application Number:
  US08/877,656
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472, 235/383, 235/380, 235/385, 235/462
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1016 Motor control or optical moving unit control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10633 by oscillation
• 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 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• 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 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable, hand-held reader reads a symbol associated with a product selected by a customer. A database of a host computer stores attribute data of many products. The database is accessed on a real-time basis to automatically retrieve the stored product attribute data. The retrieved data is displayed on a display associated with the reader. A card reading device is provided on the hand-held reader, for charging a customer'"'"'s account, all at one location. A printer prints a written memorandum of the transaction.

Claims

1. An arrangement for processing products at a point-of-sale site, comprising:

a) a host computer having a data base in which price information for each of the products is stored;

b) a hand-held reader for reading indicia having parts of different light reflectivity associated with a selected product to be identified;

c) an interrogator for interrogating the host computer on a real time basis for the price information of the identified product, and for calculating the price of the identified product; and

d) a card reading device slot for receiving a card to complete a commercial transaction for the identified product at the point-of-sale site by charging a customer'"'"'s credit account, said card reading device slot being provided on the hand-held reader.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each product is associated uniquely with a bar code symbol.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the host computer includes a cash register having a register antenna, and wherein the hand-held reader has a reader antenna in wireless radio frequency communication with register antenna.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1;

and further comprising a keyboard and a display on the hand-held reader.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the card reading device slot is formed in the reader and is dimensioned to slidingly receive a card passed along the slot.

6. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the card reading device slot is operative for receiving the card bearing magnetically encoded information.

7. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the card reading device slot is operative for receiving an integrated circuit chip on the card in the slot.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1;

and further comprising a weighing scale having a platform on which a selected product is weighed.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1;

and further comprising an electronic surveillance tag deactivator operative for deactivating a tag associated with a selected product.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1;

and further comprising a printer for printing labels for application to a selected product.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1;

and further comprising a printer for printing receipts of transactions at the point-of-sale site.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the reader includes a housing having a handle.

13. The arrangement according to claim 12;

and further comprising a trigger on the housing for initiating the reading of the indicia.

14. An arrangement for processing products at a point-of-sale site, comprising:

a) a host computer having a data base in which price information for each of the products is stored;

b) a hand-held, triggerable electro-optical reader for scanning and reading a bar code symbol having parts of different light reflectivity associated with a selected product to be identified;

c) an interrogator for interrogating the host computer on a real time basis for the price information of the identified product, and for calculating the price of the identified product;

d) a card reading device slot for receiving a card to complete a commercial transaction for the identified product at the point-of-sale site by charging a customer'"'"'s credit account, said card reading device slot being produced on the hand-held, electro-optical reader; and

e) a printer for printing a printed memorandum of the transaction.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the printed memorandum is an adhesive label.