Shopping cart bottom of the basket item detection

• US 7,868,759 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): EUSTAQUIO, CAL J
• Application Number:
  US11/534,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.5, 340/568
• US Class Current: 340/568.5
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/045 Handling of baskets or shopping trolleys at check-out counters, e.g. unloading, checking
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1488 Indicating or preventing transport of goods under the basket
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1481 with optical detection

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection and provide a method, system and computer program product for high-contrast BOB item detection. In one embodiment of the invention, a shopping cart BOB item detection data processing system can include high contrast material applied in proximity to a shopping cart BOB; an optical sensor positioned to generate an image of the high contrast material; BOB detection logic and an alert disposed in proximity to a cash register at the check stand. The BOB detection logic can include program code enabled to analyze the image to detect either an obscuring or an obstruction of the high contrast material. As such, the alert can be operable to issue an alert responsive to the BOB detection logic detecting one an obscuring or an obstruction of the high contrast material.

Claims

1. In a check stand, a shopping cart bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection data processing system comprising:

high contrast material applied in proximity to a shopping cart BOB;

an optical sensor positioned to generate an image of the high contrast material;

BOB detection logic comprising program code enabled to analyze the image to detect one of an obscuring and an obstruction of the high contrast material; and

,

an alert disposed in proximity to a cash register at the check stand and operable to issue an alert responsive to the BOB detection logic detecting one of an obscuring and an obstruction of the high contrast material, wherein

the high contrast material is applied to a bottom rail of the shopping cart BOB nearest to the check stand and a bottom rail of the shopping cart BOB furthest from the check stand.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the high contrast material is applied to a hollow tube surrounding the bottom rail of the shopping cart BOB nearest to the check stand and to a hollow tube surrounding the bottom rail of the shopping cart BOB furthest from the check stand.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the high contrast material is applied to a floor surface below the shopping cart BOB.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the high contrast material is one of reflective, retro-reflective and fluorescent material.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a light source proximate to the optical sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert is one of a visual alert and an audio alert.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional optical sensors each positioned to generate an image of the high contrast material for analysis by the program code of the BOB detection logic.

8. A shopping cart bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection method comprising:

acquiring an optical image of high contrast material proximate to a shopping cart BOB adjacent to a check stand;

determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB; and

,

responsive to determining one of an obscuring and an obstruction of the high contrast material, triggering an alert to a check stand clerk, wherein

the determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB comprises;

detecting high contrast material in a bottom rail of the BOB nearest to the check stand;

further detecting high contrast material in a bottom rail of the BOB furthest from the check stand; and

determining whether portions of the high contrast material in the bottom rail of the BOB furthest from the check stand have become obscured or obstructed from view relative to portions of the high contrast material in the bottom rail of the BOB nearest to the check stand.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein

the acquiring the optical image of the high contrast material proximate to the shopping cart BOB adjacent to the check stand comprises concurrently acquiring multiple different optical images of high contrast material proximate to a shopping cart BOB adjacent to a check stand.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein

the determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB comprises comparing a previously stored image of the high contrast material to the optical image to identify differences that exceed a threshold sufficient to conclude that the high contrast material has been one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying the high contrast material to a hollow tube and attaching the hollow tube to a rail on the BOB of the shopping cart.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable tangible medium embodying computer usable program code for shopping cart bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for acquiring an optical image of high contrast material proximate to a shopping cart BOB adjacent to a check stand;

computer usable program code for determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB; and

,

computer usable program code for triggering an alert to a check stand clerk responsive to determining an obscuring or an obstruction of the high contrast material,

wherein

the determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB, comprises;

detecting high contrast material in a bottom rail of the BOB nearest to the check stand;

further detecting high contrast material in a bottom rail of the BOB furthest from the check stand; and

determining whether portions of the high contrast material in the bottom rail of the BOB furthest from the check stand have become obscured or obstructed from view relative to portions of the high contrast material in the bottom rail of the BOB nearest to the check stand.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the acquiring the optical image of the high contrast material proximate to the shopping cart BOB adjacent to the check stand, comprises concurrently acquiring multiple different optical images of high contrast material proximate to a shopping cart BOB adjacent to a check stand.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein

the determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB, comprises comparing a previously stored image of the high contrast material to the optical image to identify differences that exceed a threshold sufficient to conclude that the high contrast material has been one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB.