Terminal for libraries and the like

• US 6,369,709 B1
• Filed: 04/10/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems AG (Bibliotheca Group GmbH)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Nelson, John E., Brace, Thomas J., Grunes, Mitchell B., Wurz, Ronald C., Marsolek, Gerald G., Karel, Gerald L., Willems, Richard M., Schwietz, Joseph E. Jr., McLeod, Kathleen M., Fergen, James E., Kieffer, Michael J., Larson, Roger D., Yorkovich, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US09/058,547
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571, 340/686.1, 340/686.2, 705/30, 235/375, 235/380, 235/385, 235/470
• US Class Current: 340/571
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/005 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal (i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transactions related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

Claims

1. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article, wherein the article receiving area has an idle indicator thereon;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to determine that an article is not placed in the article receiving area when the idle indicator is readable by the code reader.

2. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area.

3. The self-service library terminal of claim 2 wherein the feedback comprises an explicit feedback.

4. The self-service library terminal of claim 1 wherein the idle indicator is a code.

5. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide an explicit feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, and wherein the controller determines that a library card is not correctly placed in the article receiving area when the code reader reads an article other than the library card before the code reader reads the library card.

6. A self-service library terminal comprising:

a first article receiving area arranged to receive an article of a first type;

a second article receiving area arranged to receive an article of a second type;

a first code reader arranged to read a code on the article of the first type when the article of the first type is placed at the first article receiving area;

a second code reader arranged to read a code on the article of the second type when the article of the second type is placed at the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the first and second code readers, wherein the controller is arranged to direct a user to properly place the article of the second type at the second article receiving area if the controller determines that the article of the second type is improperly placed at the first article receiving area.

7. The self-service library terminal of claim 6 wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the first article receiving area.

8. The self-service library terminal of claim 7 wherein the feedback comprises an explicit feedback.

9. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to direct a user to place a circulating item having a first code type at the article receiving area if the code reader reads a second type code from an article at the article receiving area.

10. The self-service library terminal of claim 9 wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area.

11. The self-service library terminal of claim 10 wherein the feedback comprises an explicit feedback.

12. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article;

a video receiver;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein, if the borrower leaves a circulating item in a position to be read by the code reader while inserting a video into the video receiver, the controller is arranged to direct the borrower to remove the circulating item before inserting the video.

13. The self-service library terminal of claim 12 wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area.

14. The self-service library terminal of claim 13 wherein the feedback comprises an explicit feedback.

15. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article, wherein the article receiving area has an idle indicator;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide an explicit feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, and wherein the controller is arranged to process a signal from the code reader corresponding to the idle indicator in order to provide the explicit feedback as to whether an article is placed in the article receiving area.

16. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area;

a security marker reader arranged to read a security marker attached to a circulating item; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide an explicit feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, wherein the circulating item has a code thereon readable by the code reader, and wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and the security marker reader in order to provide the explicit feedback.

17. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article, wherein the article receiving area includes a user card receiving area having a card idle indicator;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide an explicit feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, and wherein the controller is arranged to direct a user to correctly position a user card on the user card receiving area if the controller detects that the card idle indicator is not being read by the code reader.

18. A self-service library terminal comprising:

an article receiving area arranged to receive an article;

a code reader arranged to read a code on the article when the article is placed on the article receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the code reader, wherein the controller is arranged to process signals from the code reader and to provide an explicit feedback to a borrower when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, wherein a circulating item has first and second codes thereon, and wherein the controller is arranged to direct a user to place the first code in a reference position where the first code can be read by the code reader if the controller determines that a user has placed the second code in the reference position.

19. The self-service library terminal of claim 18 further comprising a video receiver, wherein, if the borrower leaves the article in a position to be read by the code reader while inserting a video into the video receiver, the controller is arranged to direct the borrower to remove the circulating item before inserting the video.

20. The self-service library terminal of claim 18 wherein the controller is arranged to process financial credit transactions related to the library loan transactions and to remind a borrower of the borrower'"'"'s account status.

21. A library terminal comprising:

a card receiving area arranged to receive a library card, wherein the card receiving area has an idle indicator;

a card reader arranged to read the library card when the library card is placed on the card receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the card reader, wherein the controller is responsive to the card reader in order to determine incorrect library card placement on the card receiving area, and wherein the controller determines that the library card is incorrectly placed on the card receiving area when the card reader fails to read the library card and the idle indicator.

22. A library terminal comprising:

a card receiving area arranged to receive a library card;

a card reader arranged to read the library card when the library card is placed on the card receiving area; and

,

a controller coupled to the card reader, wherein the controller is responsive to the card reader in order to determine incorrect library card placement on the card receiving area when the card reader reads an article other than the library card before the card reader reads the library card.

23. A library terminal comprising:

a circulating item receiving area arranged to receive a circulating item;

a scanner arranged to scan the circulating item when the circulating item is placed on the circulating item receiving area;

a security marker reader arranged to read a security marker attached to the circulating item; and

,

a controller coupled to the scanner, wherein the controller is responsive to the scanner in order to determine when the circulating item is in the circulating item receiving area but is not in a reference position, and wherein the controller is arranged to control a sensing range of the security marker reader when the circulating item is in the circulating item receiving area but is not in a reference position.