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

• US 6,102,290 A
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Assistant Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US09/113,685
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472.02, 235/375, 235/462.01
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• 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. An article transaction processing system, comprising:

a) a database for storing article symbols identifying articles, for storing tag symbols identifying surveillance tags, and for associating respective tags with respective articles on which the respective tags are mounted;

b) a reader for electro-optically reading an article symbol to identify a selected article to be processed, and for subsequently electro-optically reading a tag symbol to identify the respective tag on the selected article;

c) a control processor for communicating with the database after the article symbol and the tag symbol have been read, for determining whether the identified tag is associated with the identified article; and

d) a transaction processor for completing a transaction with the selected article upon the determination that the identified tag is associated with the identified article.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1;

and further comprising a plurality of terminals in wireless communication with the database, and wherein the reader and the processors are located in one of the terminals; and

further comprising additional readers, additional control processors, and additional transaction processors located in others of the terminals.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the database is located in a host computer remote from the terminals.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1;

and further comprising a sales terminal in which the reader and the processors are located, for completing the transaction as a sale of the selected article; and

wherein the sales terminal includes means for effecting the sale by a financial payment.

5. The system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the sales terminal includes a card reader, and a slot for receiving a card bearing financial information to be read.

6. The system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the sales terminal includes a keypad for enabling manual entry of information relating to the transaction.

7. The system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the sales terminal includes a display for displaying information relating to the transaction, including visible messages for prompting a user through the transaction.

8. The system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the transaction processor includes a tag remover for enabling the identified tag to be removed from the identified article.

9. The system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the transaction processor includes a tag deactivator for deactivating the identified tag.

10. The system in accordance with claim 9, wherein each tag has an electronic component switchable between activated and deactivated states upon receipt of a radio frequency signal.

11. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the article symbol and the tag symbol are bar code symbols.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein the bar code symbols are the same.

13. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein the bar code symbols are different.

14. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the tag symbols are printed on respective labels respectively mounted on the tags.

15. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the article symbols are printed on respective labels respectively mounted on the articles.

16. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reader includes a light source for generating a light beam, a detector having a field of view and operative for detecting light reflected from a respective symbol, and a scanner for scanning at least one of the light beam and the field of view in a scan over the respective symbol.