Method and apparatus for determining whether a verbal message was spoken during a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal

• US 6,567,787 B1
• Filed: 08/17/1998
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Walker, Jay S., Van Luchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Dickerson, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEINECKE DIAZ, SUSANNA M
• Application Number:
  US09/135,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/11, 705/14, 705/16, 704/246, 704/272, 704/273, 704/274, 704/275, 713/186, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A point-of-sale terminal initiates a transaction and provides a prompt to be spoken to an operator (e.g. a cashier) of the POS terminal. The prompt indicates a verbal message that is to be spoken by the operator. The POS terminal then receives an audio signal via a microphone or similar device to record what the operator has spoken. Using speech recognition, the POS terminal determines whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt, and thus whether the operator spoke the prompt properly. In one embodiment, the transaction is paused until the operator properly speaks the prompt. In another embodiment, the POS terminal stores an indication of whether the operator has properly spoken the prompt, thereby allowing the performance of the operator to be measured.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether a verbal message was spoken during a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal, comprising:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt;

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

receiving a customer audio signal from a customer;

determining operator transaction information from the audio signal;

determining customer transaction information from the customer audio signal; and

determining whether the operator transaction information corresponds to the customer transaction information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pausing the transaction if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the step of pausing the transaction comprises:

pausing the transaction until it is determined that the audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the step of pausing the transaction until it is determined that the audio signal corresponds to the prompt comprises:

receiving a supplementary audio signal; and

determining whether the supplementary audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

repeating, until the supplementary audio signal corresponds to the prompt, the steps of

receiving a supplementary audio signal; and

determining whether the supplementary audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a survey response.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting a survey question before the step of receiving an audio signal.

8. The method of claim 6 in which the step of receiving a survey response is performed after the step of receiving an audio signal.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting a plurality of survey questions before the step of receiving an audio signal;

and in which the step of receiving a survey response comprises;

receiving a survey response to each survey question after the step of receiving an audio signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a bonus of the operator based on whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

adding the bonus to a pay check of the operator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the audio signal comprises:

recording the audio signal during a predetermined time interval.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the predetermined time interval starts at a predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 12 in which the step of recording an audio signal comprises:

receiving the audio signal after the step of transmitting the prompt.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the prompt based on data received during the transaction.

16. The method of claim 15 in which the prompt includes a frequent shopper name.

17. The method of claim 15 in which the prompt includes an item ordered.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving transaction data; and

determining whether at least one of the operator transaction information and customer transaction information corresponds to the transaction data.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

outputting instructions to repeat information in the customer audio signal if the at least one of the operator transaction information and customer transaction information does not correspond to the transaction data.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a percentage of transactions in which the audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the audio signal.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an operator identifier.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an indication of whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing initiation of a new transaction until it is determined that the audio signal corresponds to the prompt.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in communication with the storage device,

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to;

initiate a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmit a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receive an audio signal;

determine whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt;

prevent a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

receive a customer audio signal from a customer;

determining operator transaction information from the audio signal;

determining customer transaction information from the customer audio signal; and

determining whether the operator transaction information corresponds to the customer transaction information.

26. A medium encoded with a program for implementing a method, said program for directing a device to perform the steps of:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt;

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

receiving a customer audio signal from a customer;

determining operator transaction information from the audio signal;

determining customer transaction information from the customer audio signal; and

determining whether the operator transaction information corresponds to the customer transaction information.

27. A method for determining whether a verbal message was spoken during a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal, comprising:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measuring an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pausing the transaction in accordance with the activity rate and the prompt.

28. The method of claim 27 in which the step of measuring the activity rate comprises:

measuring at least one of a transaction rate, an item sale rate, a profitability rate and an acceptance rate.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in communication with the storage device,

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to;

initiate a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmit a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receive an audio signal;

determine whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

prevent a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measure an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pause the transaction in accordance with the activity rate and the prompt.

30. A medium encoded with a program for implementing a method, said program for directing a device to perform the steps of:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measuring an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pausing the transaction in accordance with the activity rate and the prompt.

31. A method for determining whether a verbal message was spoken during a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal, comprising:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measuring an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pausing the transaction if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt and the activity rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in communication with the storage device,

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to;

initiate a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmit a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receive an audio signal;

determine whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

prevent a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measure an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pause the transaction if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt and the activity rate is less than a predetermined threshold.

33. A medium encoded with a program for implementing a method, said program for directing a device to perform the steps of:

initiating a transaction at a point-of-sale terminal;

transmitting a prompt to be spoken during the transaction;

receiving an audio signal;

determining whether the audio signal corresponds to the prompt; and

preventing a cash drawer from opening if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt;

measuring an activity rate of a point-of-sale terminal; and

pausing the transaction if the audio signal does not correspond to the prompt and the activity rate is less than a predetermined threshold.