Non-scan detect system for a retail checkout station

• US 7,503,490 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Otto, Charles A., Park, Unsang, Flickner, Myron, Hampapur, Arun, Pankanti, Sharathchandra U., Zhai, Yun, Yanagawa, Akira, Bobbitt, Russell P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US12/188,365
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 705/18, 705/23
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/006 False operation

Abstract

A non-scan detect system for a retail checkout station includes a non-scan detect module. The non-scan detect module, when operated, causes the non-scan detect system to detect the passing of an item across a scanner device of a retail checkout station, determine that the item passing across the scanner device was not registered as a scan, establish a potential non-scanned item based on the item not being registered as a scan, obtain an image of the potential non-scanned item, establish a scanned item based on an item passing across the scanner device being registered as a scan, extract features associated with the scanned item, compare the features associated with the scanned item with the image of the potential non-scanned item, and trigger an actual non-scan if the features of the scanned item do not substantially match the image of the potential non-scanned item.

Claims

1. A non-scan detect system for a retail checkout station, the non-scan detect system comprising:

a non-scan detect module, the non-scan detect module, when operated, causes the non-scan detect system to;

detect the passing of an item across a scanner device of a retail checkout station;

determine that the item passing across the scanner device was not registered as a scan;

establish a potential non-scanned item based on the item not being registered as a scan;

obtain an image of the potential non-scanned item;

establish a scanned item based on an item passing across the scanner device being registered as a scan;

extract features associated with the scanned item;

compare the features associated with the scanned item with the image of the potential non-scanned item; and

trigger an actual non-scan if the features of the scanned item do not substantially match the image of the potential non-scanned item.

2. The non-scan detect system according to claim 1, wherein the non-scan detect module, when operated, causes the non-scan detect system to:

detect an object not associated with the potential non-scanned item; and

remove the object not associated with the potential non-scanned from the image of the potential non-scanned item.

3. The non-scan detect system according to claim 2, wherein the non-scan detect module, when operated, causes the non-scan detect system to:

detect a portion of a cashier moving the potential non-scanned item across the scanner device to detect the object not associated with the potential non-scanned item includes.

4. The non-scan detect system according to claim 2, wherein the non-scan detect module, when operated, causes the non-scan detect system to:

detect multiple attempts to scan an item;

establish multiple potential non-scanned items based on the item not being registered as a scan; and

evaluate each of the multiple potential non-scanned items prior to indicating an actual non-scan of the item.