Systems and methods for pre-scanning merchandise in customer's shopping cart while customer is waiting in checkout line

• US 7,575,161 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2003
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Dung, Rodriguez, Aime V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koyama; Kumiko C
• Application Number:
  US10/641,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20040094620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/462.01, 280/648, 280/33.991, 280/33.992, 340/572.3, 340/573.1, 705 16- 18, 705/23, 705/26
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/047 for recording self-service articles without cashier or assistant
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 1/266 the objects being bags
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

Systems and methods for pre-scanning retail merchandise. A mobile scanning station includes a frame, and a pair of arms mounted to the frame, positioned to hold an open bag for receiving pre-scanned items. A platform is mounted to the frame, positioned under the pair of arms for providing a supporting surface for items contained in an open bag held by the pair of arms. The frame further includes an EAS deactivator support for holding an EAS deactivator for deactivating EAS tags on pre-scanned items before they are placed in the open bag.

Claims

1. A mobile pre-scanning station, comprising:

a frame;

a bag support mounted to the frame for holding an open bag for receiving pre-scanned items; and

a platform mounted to the frame and positioned under the bag support for providing a supporting surface under items contained in the open bag held by the bag support,

the frame further providing a mount for mounting an electronic article surveillance tag deactivator proximate to the open bag, the deactivator being used to deactivate electronic article surveillance tags on pre-scanned items before the items are placed in the open bag,

the mobile pre-scanning station having wheels and a footprint of approximately 13 inches by 16 inches or smaller, the wheels and the footprint of the station allowing the station to be readily rolled among customer shopping carts in a retail checkout line by a store employee performing a pre-scanning function.

2. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1 further including a post mounted to the frame proximate to the bag support for holding a bag stack.

3. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 2, wherein the bag support comprises pair of arms and the pair of arms and the post are positioned with respect to each other for receiving a bag stack, each bag in the bag stack having a pair of handle slits through which the pair of arms is inserted and a central opening fitting over the post.

4. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, wherein the mount for the electronic article surveillance tag deactivator includes a slot for receiving a tab on the electronic article surveillance tag deactivator.

5. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, further including a cardholder for holding a transaction identifier card.

6. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a handle and a pair of side posts extending downward from the handle, and wherein a pair of arms extend forward from an arm unit mounted to the side posts.

7. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 6, wherein the arm unit includes a crossbar mounted between the side posts.

8. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 7, further including a central post mounted to the crossbar for receiving a bag stack.

9. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 7, further including a slot mounted to the crossbar for receiving an electronic article surveillance tag deactivator.

10. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 7, further including a slot for receiving a cardholder for holding a transaction identifier card.

11. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, wherein the platform is mounted to a bracket that is mounted to the frame.

12. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 11, further including a section behind the platform for receiving a bottom portion of a bag stack held by the pair of arms.

13. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a handle, a pair of side posts extending downward from the handle, a pair of legs extending downward from the side posts, a pair of ankles extending downward from the legs, and a pair of feet extending forward from the ankles, and wherein the handle and feet are substantially horizontal, and wherein the side posts are substantially vertical and positioned over the feet.

14. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 13, wherein said wheels are mounted to the ankles, the wheels engaging a floor when the station is tipped backwards.

15. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 13, further including a basket mounted between the feet.

16. The mobile pre-scanning station of claim 1, wherein said wheels are mounted spaced apart along an axle adjacent one end of a bottom portion of the frame, whereby a user tilts the mobile pre-sc aiming station and rolls it on the pair of wheels to move the pre-scanning station into position and then lowers an end opposite said one end of the bottom of the frame once the pre-scanning station is in position, said lowering tending to hold the pre-scanning station in place.

17. A mobile pre-scanning station, comprising:

a frame;

a bag support mounted to the frame for holding an open bag for receiving pre-scanned items; and

a platform mounted to the frame and positioned under the bag support for providing a supporting surface under items contained in the open bag held by the bag support,

the frame further providing a mount for mounting an electronic article surveillance tag deactivator proximate to the open bag, the deactivator being used to deactivate electronic article surveillance tags on pre-scanned items before the items are placed in the open bag,

the mobile pre-scanning station having wheels and a footprint of approximately 13 inches by 16 inches or smaller, the wheels and the footprint of the station allowing the station to be readily rolled among customer shopping carts in a retail checkout line by a store employee performing a pre-scanning function wherein said wheels are sized and mounted so that the wheels engage the floor when the station is tipped for rolling the station into position, but are clear of the floor when the station is in a normal standing position.

18. A method for pre-scanning retail merchandise, comprising:

(a) rolling a mobile pre-scanning station to a position proximate to a customer shopping cart of a retail customer waiting in a checkout line, the mobile pre-scanning station having wheels and a footprint of approximately 13 inches by 16 inches or smaller, the wheels and the footprint of the station allowing the station to be readily rolled among customer shopping carts in a retail checkout line by a store employee;

(b) scanning a transaction identifier card;

(c) scanning a bar-coded item from the customer'"'"'s shopping cart;

(d) if the scanned item has an electronic article surveillance tag, using an electronic article surveillance tag deactivator seated in the mobile pre-scanning station to deactivate the electronic article surveillance tag;

(e) placing the scanned item into a bag held open by the pre-scanning station;

(f) repeating steps (c) through (e) for other bar-coded items in the customer'"'"'s shopping cart; and

(g) giving the transaction identifier card to the customer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein, after pre-scanning has been completed, pre-scanning is finalized by making an input into a scanning device used to scan bar-coded items from the customer'"'"'s shopping cart.

20. The method of claim 18, further including:

hanging full bags of pre-scanned items onto hooks on the back of the pre-scanning station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the wheels are sized and mounted so that the wheels engage the floor when the station is tipped , but are clear of the floor when the station is in a normal standing position further including:

tipping and rolling the mobile pre-scanning station among checkout lines to find a retail customer for pre-scanning.