POS terminal unit provided with customer approach notification function

• US 6,314,407 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Maeno, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/480,116
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 340/286.08, 340/286.09, 340/286.11, 340/286.12
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells

Abstract

A POS terminal unit is provided which automatically notifies an operator about the presence of a customer waiting to make a purchase when a salesclerk is absent from the POS terminal unit. When an approach sensor 1 detects the approach of a customer to the POS terminal unit, a signal is transmitted to a control portion through a first detecting portion 3 and a buzzer is activated. An ID card identification sensor 2 is a non-contact type sensor capable of receiving data of an ID card 8 located within a predetermined space range, and sends the data of the ID card owned by the operator to a second detecting portion. After confirming whether or not the data received by the second detecting portion agrees with the pre-registered ID data registered in an ID information registration portion 9, the data is sent to the control portion 5. The control portion does not activate the buzzer 7 even when the control portion receives data about the customer'"'"'s approach from the first detecting portion 3 if the operator is present near the POS terminal unit.

Claims

1. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function, the POS terminal unit comprising:

a first detecting device for detecting the presence of a customer near the POS terminal unit;

a control device for identifying the presence of the customer near the POS terminal unit by continuously detecting to determine after a predetermined period of time whether the customer is near the POS terminal unit and controlling an outputting portion; and

an output device for notifying an operator of the POS terminal unit about the presence of the customer under the control of the control device.

2. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer'"'"'s approach notification function according to claim 1 further comprising:

a second detecting device for detecting the presence of an operator near the POS terminal unit, wherein the control device suspends the notification to the operator by the output device, when the operator is present near the POS terminal unit.

3. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 2, wherein the second detecting device comprises a non-contact type ID card system composed of an ID card and an ID card identification sensor.

4. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 2, wherein the second detecting device identifies the presence of the designated operator located within a predetermined range, and wherein said control device suspends the notification to the operator by an output device when the presence of the operator is recognized by verifying with the pre-registered data.

5. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function comprising:

a sensor portion for detecting by a wireless device the presence of a customer near a POS terminal unit;

a first detecting portion for transmitting the presence of a customer to a control portion when said sensor detects the presence of the customer;

a setting portion for setting time information used by said first detecting portion;

a second detecting portion for detecting by a wireless device the presence of an operator near the POS terminal unit; and

a control portion for providing a notification of the presence of a customer when the first detecting portion continuously detects the presence of a customer for a time longer than a predetermined period set by the time setting portion, and for suspending the notification about the presence of a customer waiting to make a purchase when the second detecting means recognizes the presence of the operator near the POS terminal unit.

6. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 5, wherein the setting portion stores time information which corresponds to the time period from the time when the first detecting circuit detects the approach of a customer to a time that the customer is waiting for making a purchase, and wherein time information can be updated at any timing.

7. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 5, wherein said second detecting device receives an ID designated to an operator through an ID card system, decides that the operator is the proper operator who is authorized to operate the POS terminal unit, and inform the control portion of the decision.

8. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 6, wherein said control portion monitors the first and second detecting portions and controls the output portion by recognizing that (1) when receiving data from both said first and second detection portions, the customer is present near the POS terminal unit and the operator is also present near the POS terminal unit, (2) when receiving no data from the first detecting portion and receiving data from the second detecting portion, the customer is absent from the POS terminal unit but the operator is present near the POS terminal unit, (3) when receiving data from the first detecting portion and when receiving no data from the second detecting portion, the customer is present near the POS terminal unit but the operator is absent from the POS terminal unit, and (4) when receiving no data from both first and second detecting portions, the customer is absent near the POS terminal and the operator is also absent near the POS terminal.

9. A POS terminal unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 8, wherein said control portion notifies the operator presence of a customer waiting to make a purchase by controlling the output portion only when the control portion receives data from the first detecting portion and receives no data from the second detecting portion.

10. A unit provided with a customer approach notification function, the unit comprising:

a first detecting device for detecting the presence of a customer near the unit;

a control device for identifying the presence of the customer near the POS terminal unit by continuously detecting to determine whether the customer has been near the POS terminal unit for a predetermined period of time and controlling an outputting portion; and

an output device for notifying an operator of the unit about the presence of the customer under the control of the control device.

11. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 10 further comprising:

a second detecting device for detecting the presence of an operator near the unit, wherein the control device suspends the notification to the operator by the output device, when the operator is present near the unit.

12. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 11, wherein the second detecting device comprises a non-contact type ID card system composed of an ID card and an ID card identification sensor.

13. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 12, wherein the second detecting device identifies the presence of the operator within a predetermined range, and wherein said control device suspends the notification to the operator by an output device when the presence of the operator is recognized by second detecting device.

14. A unit provided with a customer approach notification function comprising:

a sensor portion for detecting by a wireless device the presence of a customer near a unit;

a first detecting portion for transmitting the presence of a customer to a control portion when said sensor detects the presence of the customer;

a setting portion for setting time information used by said first detecting portion;

a second detecting portion for detecting by a wireless device the presence of an operator near the unit; and

a control portion for providing a notification of the presence of a customer when the first detecting portion continuously detects the presence of a customer for a time longer than a predetermined period set by the time setting portion, and for suspending the notification about the presence of a customer waiting to make a purchase when the second detecting means recognizes the presence of the operator near the unit.

15. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 14, wherein the setting portion stores time information which corresponds to the time period from the time when the first detecting circuit detects the approach of a customer to a time that the customer is waiting for making a purchase, and wherein time information can be updated at any timing.

16. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 14, wherein said second detecting device receives an ID designated to an operator through an ID card system, decides that the operator is the proper operator who is authorized to operate the unit, and informs the control portion of the decision.

17. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 15, wherein said control portion monitors the first and second detecting portions and controls the output portion by recognizing that (1) when receiving data from both of said first and second detecting portions, the customer is present near the unit and the operator is also present near the unit, (2) when receiving no data from the first detecting portion and receiving data from the second detecting portion, the customer is absent from the unit but the operator is present near the unit, (3) when receiving data from the first detecting portion and when receiving no data from the second detecting portion, the customer is present near the unit but the operator is absent from the unit, and (4) when receiving no data from both the first and second detecting portions, the customer is absent near the unit and the operator is also absent near the unit.

18. The unit provided with a customer approach notification function according to claim 17, wherein said control portion notifies the operator of the presence of the customer waiting to make a purchase by controlling the output portion only when the control portion receives data from said first detecting portion and receives no data from the second detecting portion.