Self-checkout system

• US 7,620,568 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2003
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Parker-Malchak, Leila
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haider; Fawaad
• Application Number:
  US10/730,665
• Time in Patent Office: 2,171 Days
• Field of Search: 705/23
• US Class Current: 705/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing

Abstract

A retail terminal and method of operation thereof. The retail terminal has a weight scale, a bar code scanner, RFID tag antenna, a scan error indicator, means for communicating with a processor and a memory containing a weight learning database (WLDB). The method comprises the steps of: allowing placement of an item, having an RFID tag, to be weighed on the weight scale; allowing scanning of the item via the bar code scanner; allowing RFID tag to be read by antenna located in the scanner; obtaining a weight measurement of the item on the scale upon successful scanning of the item; and comparing the measured weight of the scanned item with a predetermined weight for that item stored in the WLDB. Wherein the comparison detects a discrepancy between the measured and pre-determined weights for the item actuating the RFID antenna in order to detect the RFID tag on the scanned item; and wherein the item identified by the RFID tag matches the scanned item de-actuating the scan error indicator, which would otherwise have been actuated by the discrepancy between the stored and measured weights for the scanned item.

Claims

1. A retail terminal comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with said processor and containing program instructions operative to control said processor, said memory further storing a weight learning database (WLDB) containing a list of predetermined weights for items for sale;

a scale in communication with said processor and operative to obtain a weight measurement of an item for sale placed on said scale;

a means for determining the identification of the item, at the weight scale;

a scan error indicator in communication with the processor; and

a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna in communication with the processor, and focused on a bagging area of the terminal;

the program instructions operative to control said processor to compare the stored and measured weights for the identified item and to actuate the first RFID antenna to verify the identification of the item if there is a perceived error in the weight of the item as measured by the scale,

the program instructions further operative to control said processor to compare the item identification determined by the means for determining the identification of the item and by the first RFID antenna,

the scan error indicator only being actuated if the comparison of the identification of the item raises a discrepancy.

2. A retail terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for determining the identification of the item comprises a bar code scanner in communication with said processor.

3. The retail terminal of claim 1, wherein the means for determining the identification of the item comprises a second RFID antenna, focused on the scale area of the terminal and in communication with said processor.

4. The retail terminal of claim 1, wherein said indicator comprises one of an audio device and a video device.

5. The retail terminal of claim 1, wherein the first RFID tag antenna is attenuated so as not to detect tags located at the scale.

6. A checkout system comprising:

a processor;

a scale in communication with said processor and operative to obtain a weight measurement of an item placed on said scale;

a means for identifying the item, at the scale, and in communication with said processor; and

memory in communication with said processor and containing program instructions operative to control said processor, said memory further storing a weight learning database (WLDB) containing a list of predetermined weights for items for sale;

the program instructions operative to control said processor to compare the stored and measured weights for the identified item and to actuate a first radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna if there is a perceived error in the weight of the item as measured by the scale,

the program instructions further operative to control said processor to compare the identification of the item identified by the means for identification and the RFID antenna,

the scan error indicator only being actuated if the comparison of the identification of the item raises a discrepancy.

7. The checkout system of claim 6, wherein said indicator comprises one of an audio device and a video device.

8. A retail terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein the means for identifying an item to be purchased is a bar code scanner in communication with said processor.

9. The retail terminal of claim 6, wherein the means for identifying an item to be purchased is a second RFID antenna, focused on the scale area of the terminal and in communication with said processor.

10. A retail terminal comprising:

a scale for generating scale data;

a processor for executing program instructions and operably connected the scale and to a weight learning database (WLDB) containing a list of predetermined items and associated weights for the items; and

a memory in communication with the processor and containing program instructions for controlling the processor to;

obtain scale data for an item placed on the scale,

identify the item placed on the scale as one of the items in the list of items;

obtain the associated weight for the one of the items in the list of items,

actuate a first radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna to obtain RFID data from the item that was placed on the scale in response to identification of a discrepancy between the obtained scale data and the obtained associated weight,

compare the identity of the item placed on the scale with an identification based upon the RFID data, and

generate an indication if the RFID data identification does not match the identity of the item placed on the scale.

11. The retail terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a scanner operably connected to the processor,

wherein the program instructions for controlling the processor to identify the item placed on the scale further comprise program instructions for controlling the processor to identify the item placed on the scale using scanner data generated by the scanner.

12. The retail terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a second RFID antenna operably connected to the processor,

wherein the program instructions for controlling the processor to identify the item placed on the scale further comprise program instructions for controlling the processor to identify the item placed on the scale using RFID data generated by the second RFID antenna.

13. The retail terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a bag well area, wherein the first RFID antenna is focused on the bag well area.

14. The retail terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a scan error indicator in communication with the processor for indicating when the RFID data identification does not match the identity of the item placed on the scale.