Packing error detecting system

• US 6,384,348 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Haga, Ichiro, Miyoshi, Morimasa, Kojima, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Application Number:
  US09/541,064
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 177/25.11, 177/25.12, 177/25.13, 177/25.14, 177/25.15, 177/25.19, 177/50, 705/16, 705/15, 705/22, 705/23, 705/414, 705/416, 186/41, 186/53, 235/383
• US Class Current: 177/25.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 15/00 Arrangements for check-weighing of materials dispensed into removable containers packaging aspects B65B; electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

The information of sales items is transmitted from a cash register 1 to a sensing device 2 and stored in a sales items memory 26. In the sensing device 2, a commodities information memory 25 stores the information relating to a nominal weight of each commodity as well as a nominal weight of a package. A weight sensor 24 measures an actual overall weight of all of the sales items including the package. A controller 23 compares the measured overall weight with a sum of their nominal weight values, to detect any error in the packing operation.

Claims

1. A packing error detecting system employed to check whether all of sales items are correctly packed in a package in accordance with a customer'"'"'s order without opening the already sealed package, said packing error detecting system comprising:

sales items memory means for storing each commodity name of sales items in response to customer'"'"'s placing of an order through a cash register prior to packing of said sales items;

commodity information memory means for storing a nominal weight of each commodity as well as a nominal weight of a package beforehand;

sensing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for measuring an actual overall weight of all of said ordered sales items including said package in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package; and

control means for calculating a nominal weight sum of said sales items and said package based on the information stored in said sales items memory means and the information stored in said commodity information memory means, and for detecting any error in a packing operation of said sales items packed into said package based on a comparison between said nominal weight sum and said actual overall weight measured by said sensing means.

2. A packing error detecting system employed to check whether all of sales items are correctly packed in a package in accordance with a customer'"'"'s order without opening the already sealed package, said packing error detecting system comprising:

sales items memory means for storing each commodity name of sales items in response to customer'"'"'s placing of an order through a cash register prior to packing of said sales items;

commodity information memory means for storing ID information of each commodity beforehand;

sensing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for detecting ID information transmitted from an IC tag attached on a wrapping cover of each sales item in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package; and

control means for detecting any error in a packing operation of said sales items packed into said package based on a comparison between said ID information obtained by said sensing means and the information stored in said sales items memory with reference to the information stored in said commodity information memory means.

3. A packing error detecting system employed to check whether all of sales items are correctly packed in a package in accordance with a customer'"'"'s order without opening the already sealed package, said packing error detecting system comprising:

sales items memory means for storing each commodity name of sales items in response to customer'"'"'s placing of an order through a cash register prior to packing of said sales items;

commodity information memory means for storing printed indicia (pattern, color) of a wrapping cover of each commodity beforehand;

image recognizing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for detecting the printed indicia of the wrapping cover of each sales item in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package; and

control means for detecting any error in a packing operation of said sales items packed into said package based on a comparison between the recognized result obtained by said image recognizing means and the information stored in said sales items memory with reference to the information stored in said commodity information memory means.

4. A packing error detecting system employed to check whether all of sales items are correctly packed in a package in accordance with a customer'"'"'s order without opening the already sealed package, said packing error detecting system comprising:

sales items memory means for storing each commodity name of sales items in response to customer'"'"'s placing of an order through a cash register prior to packing of said sales items;

commodity information memory means for storing a nominal weight of each commodity as well as a nominal weight of a package in addition to ID information of each commodity beforehand;

first sensing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for measuring an actual overall weight of all of said ordered sales items including said package in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package;

second sensing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for detecting ID information transmitted from an IC tag attached on a wrapping cover of each sales item in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package; and

control means for calculating a nominal weight sum of said sales items and said package based on the information stored in said sales items memory means and the information stored in said commodity information memory means, and for detecting any error in a packing operation of said sales items packed into said package based on a comparison between said nominal weight sum and said actual overall weight measured by said first sensing means as well as based on a comparison between said ID information obtained by said second sensing means and the information stored in said sales items memory with reference to the information stored in said commodity information memory means.

5. A packing error detecting system employed to check whether all of sales items are correctly packed in a package in accordance with a customer'"'"'s order without opening the already sealed package, said packing error detecting system comprising:

sales items memory means for storing each commodity name of sales items in response to customer'"'"'s placing of an order through a cash register prior to packing of said sales items;

commodity information memory means for storing a nominal weight of each commodity as well as a nominal weight of a package in addition to printed indicia (pattern. color) of a wrapping cover of each commodity beforehand;

sensing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for measuring an actual overall weight of all of said ordered sales items including said package in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package;

image recognizing means activated after completing the packing of said sales items according to the customer'"'"'s order for detecting the printed indicia of the wrapping cover of each sales item in a condition where said ordered sales items are packed in the already sealed package; and

control means for calculating a nominal weight sum of said sales items and said package based on the information stored in said sales items memory means and the information stored in said commodity information memory means, and for detecting any error in a packing operation of said sales items packed into said package based on a comparison between said nominal weight sum and said actual overall weight measured by said sensing means as well as based on a comparison between the recognized result obtained by said image recognizing means and the information stored in said sales items memory with reference to the information stored in said commodity information memory means.