Self-checkout terminal and control method therefore

• US 8,256,672 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Haibara, Takuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US13/006,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20110210168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/376, 235/383, 235/385, 705/16, 705/26.1, 705/26.25, 705/26.41, 705 2681- 2682
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a self-checkout terminal includes a reading unit, a registration processing unit, a determining unit, a checking unit, and a settlement processing unit. The reading unit reads a data code. The registration processing unit acquires sales limitation information. The determining unit determines, according to the limitation information, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation. The checking unit transmits, when it is determined that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, data for checking whether a limit condition is satisfied and determines whether data of completion of the check is returned. The settlement processing unit inhibits shift to settlement processing for the commodity subjected to the sales limitation and enables, when the checking unit determines that the data of the completion of the check is received, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and subjects the commodity to the settlement processing.

Claims

1. A self-checkout terminal comprising:

an operation unit;

a reading unit configured to read a data code attached to a commodity;

a registration processing unit configured to acquire, based on the data code, at least price information and sales limitation information of the commodity;

a limitation determining unit configured to determine, according to the sales limitation information acquired by the registration processing unit, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation;

a first checking unit configured to transmit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, first data for urging a check concerning whether a condition for the sales limitation is satisfied to a monitoring terminal and determine whether second data indicating completion of the check is returned from the monitoring terminal;

a second checking unit configured to determine, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, whether indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied is input by the operation unit;

a setting unit configured to set processing by the second checking unit to be valid in response to receiving attendant absence notification from the monitoring terminal, and set processing by the first checking unit to be valid in response to receiving attendant presence notification from the monitoring terminal; and

a settlement processing unit configured to inhibit, if the limitation determining unit determines that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, shift to settlement processing for the commodity and, if the processing by the first checking unit is set to be valid, enable, if the first checking unit determines that the second data indicating the completion of the check is received from the monitoring terminal, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and execute the settlement processing based on the price information of the commodity, and, if the processing by the second checking unit is set to be valid, enable, if indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied is input by the operation unit, the shift to the settlement processing for the commodity and execute the settlement processing based on the price information of the commodity.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first checking unit is further configured to determine, after processing by the registration processing unit in one commercial transaction ends, whether the second data indicating the completion of the check is returned from the monitoring terminal.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first checking unit is further configured to change time for determining whether the second data indicating the completion of the check is returned from the monitoring terminal to one of time when the price information and the sales limitation information are acquired by the registration processing unit or time when processing by the registration processing unit is completed for all commodities sold in one commercial transaction.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first checking unit is further configured to notify, while waiting for the second data indicating the completion of the check returned from the monitoring terminal, that the first checking unit is checking whether the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display with touch panel configured to display a button for instructing execution of the settlement processing by the settlement processing unit, wherein

the settlement processing unit is further configured to inhibit, while the first checking unit waits for the second data indicating the completion of the check returned from the monitoring terminal, shift to the settlement processing for the commodity by inactivating the button, and enables, if the first checking unit receives the second data indicating the completion of the check, the shift to the settlement processing by activating the button and executes the settlement processing according to a touch on the button.

6. The terminal according to claim 1 wherein

the first checking unit is further configured to permit, in response to determining that the second data indicating the completion of the check is returned from the monitoring terminal, the settlement processing for all commodities subjected to the registration processing in a commercial transaction;

and

the settlement processing unit is further configured to execute, if the first checking unit permits the settlement processing, the settlement processing for all the commodities subjected to the registration processing in the commercial transaction.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a cancelling unit configured to cancel, if the first checking unit determines that the second data indicating the completion of the check is not returned from the monitoring terminal, sales of the commodity subjected to the sales limitation.

8. The terminal according to. claim 1, wherein the first checking unit is further configured to transmit, in response to the limitation determining unit determining that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, the first data for urging the check to the monitoring terminal and, after processing by the registration processing unit is completed for all commodities sold in one commercial transaction, re-transmit, in response to determining that the second data indicating the completion of the check is not returned from the monitoring terminal, the first data for urging the check to the monitoring terminal again.

9. A method for a self-checkout terminal that subjects a commodity to sales processing according to operation of a customer, the method comprising:

acquiring, based on an input data code, at least price information and sales limitation information of a commodity attached with a data code;

determining, according to the sales limitation information, whether the commodity is subjected to sales limitation;

determining, in response to determining that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, whether a status of a monitoring terminal indicates an attendant absence or an attendant presence;

transmitting, in response to determining that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation and the status of the monitoring terminal indicates the attendant presence, first data for urging a check concerning whether a condition for the sales limitation is satisfied to the monitoring terminal and determining whether second data indicating completion of the check is returned from the monitoring terminal;

determining, in response to determining that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation and the status of the monitoring terminal indicates the attendant absence, whether an indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied is received at an operation unit of the self-checkout terminal;

inhibiting, in response to determining that the commodity is subjected to the sales limitation, shift to settlement processing for the commodity;

if the status of the monitoring terminal indicates the attendant presence, enabling the shift to settlement processing for the commodity in response to receipt of the second data indicating completion of the check from the monitoring terminal and executing the settlement processing based the price information of the commodity; and

if the status of the monitoring terminal indicates the attendant absence, enabling the shift to settlement processing for the commodity in response to receipt of the indication that the condition for the sales limitation is satisfied from the operation unit of the self-checkout terminal and executing the settlement processing based on the price information of the commodity.