Method and system for purchasing items

• US 7,044,369 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Buypass Systems Limited Israeli Company of At Home Center Headquarters
• Original Assignee: Buypass Systems Limited
• Inventors: Gantz, Ruth
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/362,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20040026503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/375, 235/381, 235/385, 235/462.46, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 340/5.91, 340/5.92, 340/572.1, 340/572.3, 340/572.4, 340/825.36, 335/285, 186/62, 186/61, 186/59
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A customer station for use in an items'"'"' purchasing system in a supermarket or other retail store is presented. The customer station has an identification assembly, a control unit, a data presentation unit for presenting to the customer information related to selected items, and a deactivator. The identification assembly is operable to identify a nature of an item of customer'"'"'s interest, and generate data indicative of information related to the item of interest to be presented to the customer. The control unit has a processing system responsive to the generated data indicative of the information related to the item to generate data indicative of the entire sum to be paid by the customer which is to be presented to the customer. The deactivator is operable to deactivate a security tag attached to the item. The entire customer station or at least the identification assembly and the data presentation unit are incorporated in a unit mountable on a supermarket trolley.

Claims

1. A customer station for use in an items purchasing system in a supermarket or other retail store, the customer station comprising:

(a) an identification assembly capable of reading items'"'"' identification codes, identifying a nature of selected item of customer'"'"'s interest, and generating data indicative of information related to the item of interest to be presented to the customer, said information including a current price of the selected item;

(b) a data presentation unit for presenting to the customer information related to the selected items;

(c) a tag deactivating and reactivating unit configured and operable to deactivate a security tag attached to the item to thereby prevent its identification by an external security assembly thus enabling identification of the respective item as a purchased one, and to reactivate the previously deactivated tag to thereby enable its identification as a non-purchased item; and

(d) a control unit connectable to said identification assembly and to said tag deactivating and reactivating unit, and comprising a processor utility and an indication utility, said control unit being configured and operable to be responsive to the generated data indicative of the information related to the item to operate the tag deactivation upon identifying a valid scan event from the identification assembly, thereby enabling the identification of the respective item as the purchased one and include the item data into a list of purchased items, and to be responsive to a signal indicative of the completion of the reactivation process to remove the non-purchased item data from the list and activate the indication utility to generate an acknowledge signal.

2. The customer station according to claim 1, and also comprising a memory unit for storing reference data representative of various items available in the store including their identification codes, nature and current prices.

3. The customer station according to claim 2, wherein the identification assembly comprises a code reader/identifier for reading an identification code of each item selected by the customer and utilizing the reference data for identifying the item'"'"'s nature and price.

4. The customer station according to claim 3, wherein said identification assembly also comprises a sensor capable of identifying a customer passing through the aisle and generating data indicative thereof.

5. The customer station according to claim 4, wherein said identification assembly comprises a wireless connecting unit for wireless communication with a central station enabling to locate the customer with respect to items distribution in the store.

6. The customer station according to claim 2, wherein said memory unit is equipped with a signal receiving means for receiving updated contents of the reference data from a central station of the supermarket.

7. The customer station according to claim 1, and also comprising a code reading/identification unit for identifying a customer and determining his payment card identification code, and generating data indicative thereof, the control unit being responsive to the data indicative of the entire sum and to the generated data related to the customer'"'"'s payment card, so as to finalize transaction.

8. The customer station according to claim 7, and also comprising a memory unit for storing reference data representative of various items available in the store including their identification codes, nature and current prices, and data representative of registered customers.

9. The customer station according to claim 1, incorporated in a unit mountable on a store trolley.

10. The customer station according to claim 1, wherein said identification assembly and said data presentation unit are incorporated in a unit mountable on a store trolley.

11. The customer station according to claim 10, wherein at least a part of said tag deactivating and reactivating unit operating as the deactivator is incorporated in said trolley mountable unit.

12. The customer station according to claim 11, wherein a part of said tag deactivating and reactivating unit operating as the reactivator for reactivating the previously deactivated tag is incorporated in said trolley mountable unit.

13. The customer station according to claim 11, wherein said control unit is incorporated in said trolley mountable unit.

14. The customer station according to claim 10, wherein said control unit is incorporated in said trolley mountable unit.

15. The customer station according to claim 1, wherein said tag deactivating and reactivating unit is a magnetic assembly operable to deactivate and reactivate a magnetic security tag.

16. The customer station according to claim 15, wherein said magnetic assembly comprises at least one permanent magnet operable to create a DC magnetic field capable of deactivating the magnetic tag.

17. The customer station according to claim 16, wherein said at least one permanent magnet is mounted for rotation to create a spatial sinusoidal electro-magnetic field capable of reactivating the deactivated magnetic tag.

18. The customer station according to claim 1, wherein the identification assembly comprises a code reading/identification unit for identifying a customer by reading a code on the customer'"'"'s personal card, and generating data indicative thereof.

19. An items purchasing system for use in a supermarket or other retail store, the system comprising a central station for storing reference data, and a plurality of customer stations connectable to said central station, the customer station comprising:

(a) a memory unit for storing said reference data, wherein the memory unit is equipped with a signal receiving means for receiving updated contents of the reference data form said central station;

(b) an identification assembly capable of reading items'"'"' identification codes, identifying a nature of selected item of customer'"'"'s interest, and generating data indicative of information related to the item of interest to be presented to the customer, said information including a current price of the selected item;

(c) a code reading/identification unit for identifying a customer and determining his payment card identification code, and generating data indicative thereof;

(d) a data presentation unit for presenting to the customer information related to the selected items;

(e) a tag deactivating and reactivating unit configured and operable to deactivate a security tag attached to the item to thereby prevent its identification by an external security assembly thus enabling identification of the respective item as a purchased one, and to reactivate the previously deactivated tag to thereby enable its identification as a non-purchased item;

(f) a control unit connectable to said identification assembly and to said tag deactivating and reactivating unit, and comprising a processor utility and an indication utility, said control unit being configured and operable to be responsive to the generated data indicative of the information related to the item to operate the tag deactivation upon identifying a valid scan event from the identification assembly, thereby enabling the identification of the respective item as the purchased one and include the item data into a list of purchased items, and to be responsive to a signal indicative of the completion of the reactivation process to remove the non-purchased item data from the list and activate the indication utility to generate an acknowledge signal.

20. A trolley for use by a customer in a supermarket or other store, the trolley comprising a unit mounted on the trolley and comprising:

(a) an identification assembly capable of reading items'"'"' identification codes, identifying a nature of selected item of customer'"'"'s interest, and generating data indicative of information related to the item of interest to be presented to the customer, said information including a current price of the selected item;

(b) a data presentation unit for presenting to the customer information related to the selected items;

(c) a tag deactivating and reactivating unit configured and operable to deactivate a security tag attached to the item to thereby prevent its identification by an external security assembly thus enabling identification of the respective item as a purchased one, and to reactivate the previously deactivated tag to thereby enable its identification as a non-purchased item;

(d) a control unit connectable to said identification assembly and to said tag deactivating and reactivating unit, and comprising a processor utility and an indication utility, said control unit being configured and operable to be responsive to the generated data indicative of the information related to the item to operate the tag deactivation upon identifying a valid scan event from the identification assembly, thereby enabling the identification of the respective item as the purchased one and include the item data into a list of purchased items, and to be responsive to a signal indicative of the completion of the reactivation process to remove the non-purchased item data from the list and activate the indication utility to generate an acknowledge signal.

21. A scanner device to be applied to an information and security utility presented on an item in a supermarket or other store, the scanner device comprising:

an identification assembly configured and operable for reading items'"'"' identification codes, identifying a nature of selected item of customer'"'"'s interest, and generating data indicative of information related to the item of interest to be presented to the customer and including a current price of the selected item, and data indicative of a valid scan event; and

a magnetic assembly selectively operable by the control unit for deactivating a magnetic tag to prevent detection of the tag by an external magnetic security system, or reactivating the previously deactivated tag to allow detection of said tag by the external magnetic security system, the magnetic assembly comprising at least one permanent magnet operable to create a DC magnetic field capable of deactivating the magnetic tag, and being mounted for rotation to create a spatial sinusoidal electro-magnetic field capable of reactivating the deactivated magnetic tag; and

a control unit connectable to said identification assembly and to said magnetic assembly, and comprising a processor utility and an indication utility, said control unit being configured and operable to be responsive to said data indicative of a valid scan event to operate the magnetic assembly to deactivate the tag thereby enabling identification of the respective item as a purchased one to include the item data into a list of purchased items, and to be responsive to a signal indicative of the completion of the reactivation process from the magnetic assembly and a valid scan from the identification assembly to allow removal of a non-purchased item data from the list and generation of an acknowledge signal to a customer.