Random weight food product pricing scale with automated login capability

• US 7,041,915 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Premark FEG LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Kasinoff, Harvey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Randy W.
• Application Number:
  US10/439,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20040226757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 177 2511- 2519, 235/7.R, 235/6, 235 8- 28, 235/383, 705 16- 25, 705414-416
• US Class Current: 177/25.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

A scale system, such as a food product scale in a perishables department of a store, includes multiple scale login enabling RF identification units for use by corresponding service personnel, and a scale adapted to identify an acceptable RF identification unit that meets criteria indicative of likelihood of scale use and to perform an automated login operation for the identified RF identification unit.

Claims

1. In a store including a department having a counter with a customer side and a service person side, a scale system comprising:

multiple scale login enabling RF identification units worn by multiple service persons;

a scale located atop or above the counter and including a first display facing the service person side of the counter, a second display facing the customer side of the counter, a weighing station for receiving items to be weighed and having an associated mechanism for producing weight indicative signals when items are placed on the weighing station, a pricing control operable to establish a price for a weighed item based in part upon a weight indicative signal produced for that item, a label printer for outputting product pricing labels to be applied to food items, an RF detection system outputting an RF detection field in proximity to the scale for detecting the presence of RF identification units within the detection field, the RF detection field defining a limited detection range, wherein the scale is adapted to identify a single one of the RF identification units as being associated with a service person likely to next use the scale and to perform an automatic login for the identified RF identification unit when the service person takes action to weigh a food item and the single one of the RF identification units is moved toward the scale and into the limited detection range of the detection field, enabling multiple service persons with corresponding RF identification units to repeatedly move back and forth past the scale without causing automatic login until such an identification is made, prior to the automated login a product pricing label print function of the scale is disabled, the automated login enables at least the product pricing label print function of the scale permitting the service person to operate the scale to generate a product pricing label.

2. The scale system of claim 1 wherein the limited detection range is no more than twelve inches from the scale.

3. The scale system of claim 1 wherein an RF identification unit is identified as being associated with a service person likely to next use the scale when the RF identification unit is detected within the limited detection range for at least a minimum time duration.

4. The scale system of claim 3 wherein the limited detection range is slightly greater than an arm'"'"'s length from the scale.

5. The scale system of claim 1 wherein the scale is a first scale and the system further comprises a second scale located atop or above the counter, the second scale including a weighing station, pricing control and RF detection system, the second scale also adapted to identify a single one of the RF identification units as being associated with a service person likely to next use the second scale and to perform an automatic login for the identified RF identification unit.

6. In a store including a department having a counter with a customer side and a service person side, a scale system comprising:

multiple RF identification units worn by multiple service persons;

a scale located atop or above the counter and adapted for weighing and pricing random weight items and for enabling multiple service persons to utilize the scale where each service person has one of the RF identification units in the form of a wrist-band or other structure located proximate to the service person'"'"'s hand, the scale comprising;

a weighing station for receiving items to be weighed and having an associated mechanism for producing weight indicative signals when items are placed on the weighing station;

an input device located on the scale;

a first display facing the service person side of the counter and a second display facing the customer side of the counter;

a label printer with associated label supply for printing product pricing labels;

a controller operatively connected to the input device, the label printer and the mechanism, the controller operable to establish a price for a weighed item based in part upon a weight indicative signal produced for that item; and

an RF detection system incorporated into the scale and outputting an RF detection field in proximity to the input device for detecting the presence of an RF identification unit near the input device, the RF detection field defining a limited detection range of no more than eighteen inches from the input device enabling multiple service persons to repeatedly move back and forth past the scale without having the RF detection system detect their respective RF identification units until a given service person takes an action indicative of an intent to use the scale by moving the hand having the associated RF identification unit near the input device and within the limited detection range of the RF detection field, the RF detection system is operatively connected with the controller, and the controller is operable to normally maintain the scale in an idle mode in which a product pricing label print function of the scale is disabled, the controller places the scales in an operating mode when an acceptable RF identification unit is detected within the limited detection range if the RF detection field, the product pricing label print function is enabled in the operating mode.

7. The scale system of claim 6 wherein the controller includes memory storing data corresponding to multiple different acceptable RF identification units.

8. The scale system of claim 6 wherein the controller is further operable to track scale actions in association with the acceptable RF identification unit that is detected.

9. The scale system of claim 6 wherein the controller maintains the scale in an operating mode for a limited time period after the RF identification unit is no longer detected in the RF detection field.

10. The scale system of claim 6 wherein the RF identification units are powered by the RF detection field.

11. A scale adapted for weighing and pricing random weight items and for enabling multiple service persons to utilize the scale where each service person has a respective RF identification unit, the scale comprising:

a weighing station for receiving items to be weighed and having an associated mechanism for producing weight indicative signals when items are placed on the weighing station;

an input device located on the scale;

a label printer with supply of labels for printing product pricing labels;

a first dislay facing one side of the scale, a second display facing an opposite side of the scale;

a controller operatively connected to the input device, the first display, the second display, the label printer and the mechanism; and

an RF detection system incorporated into the scale for outputting an RF detection field in proximity to the scale, the RF detection field defining a limited detection range so as to prevent detection of RF identification units that are around the scale but not within the limited detection range of the RF detection field;

wherein the controller is operable in at least one state during which it normally maintains the scale in an idle mode, and the RF detection system is operatively connected with the controller for placing the scale in an operating mode when an acceptable RF identification unit is detected within the limited detection range of the RF detection field, with the operating mode enabling a product pricing label print function that is not enabled during the idle mode.

12. The scale of claim 11 wherein in the idle mode all scale functions are disabled.

13. The scale of claim 11 wherein the scale includes multiple operating modes with different enabled functions, and the controller sets the operating mode according to the acceptable RF identification unit that is detected.

14. The scale of claim 11 wherein the limited detection range is no more than eighteen inches from the scale.

15. The scale of claim 11 wherein the limited detection range is no more than twelve inches from the scale.

16. The scale of claim 11 wherein the input device comprises a plurality of input keys arranged on a region of the scale and wherein the RF detection system comprises a transmit/receive coil extending around at least a portion of the region.

17. A random weight item pricing scale adapted for automated login thereto, the scale comprising:

a weighing station for receiving items to be weighed and having an associated mechanism for producing weight indicative signals when items are placed on the weighing station;

a label printer for printing product pricing labels;

a controller operatively connected to the mechanism and the label printer, the controller operable during an item pricing operation to calculate a price based upon weight of the item; and

an RF detection system incorporated into the scale for outputting an RF detection field in proximity to the scale, the RF detection field defining a limited detection range;

wherein the RF detection system and controller are adapted to identify, from among a plurality of RF identification units in a vicinity of the scale, a particular one of the RF identification units that meets certain criteria indicating a likelihood of scale use and to perform an automatic operator login for the particular RF identification unit; and

wherein the scale includes an input device in the form of a plurality of input keys arranged on a region of the scale and wherein the RF detection system comprises a transmit/receive coil extending around at least a portion of the region, the limited detection range is no more than twelve inches from the scale.

18. The scale of claim 17 wherein the criteria comprises the particular RF identification unit being within the limited detection range for at least a minimum time duration.

19. The scale of claim 17 wherein the automatic operator login enables at least one scale function not enabled prior to the login.

20. The scale of claim 17 wherein the automatic operator login enables scale functionality according to the particular RF identification unit.

21. The scale of claim 17 wherein when the scale is adapted for tracking at least one type of operation performed by the scale after the automatic operator login.

22. The scale of claim 21 wherein when the scale is adapted to track each weighing operation of the scale in association with the particular RF detection unit that causes the automatic operator login.

23. The scale of claim 17 wherein the scale is adapted to track each label printing operation of the scale in association with the particular RF detection unit that causes the automatic operator login.

24. The scale of claim 17 wherein an operator logout occurs after an item weigh and label print transaction is completed.

25. The scale of claim 17 wherein when the automatic operator login places the scale in a mode during which the presence of another RF identification unit within the limited detection range of the RF detection field will not cause another automatic operator login.

26. The scale of claim 17 wherein the automatic operator login places the scale in a mode during which the RF detection system is disabled.

27. A method of enabling multiple service persons working in the vicinity of a random weight item pricing scale having an automated login function to utilize the scale on an as needed basis, the scale including a associated label printer and a controller for weighing and pricing food items, the method comprising:

providing each service person with an RF identification unit worn on or near the hand of the service person;

providing a manual user input device on the scale;

providing an RF transmit/receive coil that extends about the manual user input device and generating an RF detection field with the transmit/receive coil, the RF detection field having a limited detection range of no more than twelve inches of the scale;

identifying, from amongst a plurality of RF identification units moving around in a vicinity of the scale, a particular RF identification unit when the hand of the service person having the particular RF identification unit is moved toward the manual user input device and into the limited detection range; and

performing an automatic scale login operation for the particular RF identification unit that is identified, the automated scale login enabling at least a product pricing label print function of the scale.