Communication of transaction data within a self-checkout environment

• US 8,317,086 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NNG LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dudek, Clark A., Jones, Phillip D., Paradise, Sheryl A., Rodriguez, Adrian X.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US13/029,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20120205433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.15, 235/462.11, 235/462.24, 235/474, 235/345, 235378-381, 705/16, 705/23, 705/64, 186/59
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/01 Details for indicating displaying information in general G09F, G09G

Abstract

Systems and method for communication of transaction data within a self-checkout environment are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes controlling a display device to display a machine-readable representation of transaction data. The method may include receiving a signal that indicates acknowledgement of reading of the machine-readable representation of the transaction data. Further, the method may include controlling the display device to display a machine-readable representation of other transaction data in response to receipt of the signal.

Claims

1. A self-checkout method comprising:

capturing, by a shopper using a mobile computing device, images of items to be purchased by the shopper;

generating, at the mobile computing device and in response to capture of the images, purchase item identifiers of the items based on the captured images;

generating, at the mobile computing device, a sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers;

controlling a display device of the mobile computing device to display the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers with a timing;

reading, by a shopper checkout terminal, each of the machine-readable representations of the sequence displayed on the display device of the mobile computing device, the mobile computing device controlling the timing of the display of the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers in response to acknowledgement signals received from the shopper checkout terminal in response to the checkout terminal reading each of the machine-readable representations of the sequence displayed; and

conducting a self-checkout purchase transaction for the shopper for the items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable representations each comprise an optical machine-readable representation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the optical machine-readable representation comprises a barcode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable representations further comprise one or more of position coordinates for a location where a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, a time when a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, proximity information of a computing device, discount information for a purchase item, shopper profile information, transaction security information, payment information, and purchase item information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement signals each comprise one of an audible signal, a vibratory signal, an electromagnetic signal, and an optical signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving shopping data associated with the purchase item identifiers;

generating a machine-readable representation of the shopping data;

controlling the display device to display the machine-readable representation of the shopping data; and

receiving a signal from the shopper terminal that indicates acknowledgement of reading of the machine-readable representation of the shopping data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the shopping data comprises one or more of position coordinates for a location where a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, a time when a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, proximity information of a computing device, discount information for a purchase item, shopper profile information, transaction security information, payment information, and purchase item information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the display device comprises controlling the display of a mobile computing device to display the machine-readable representation of the shopping data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising

reading machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers of purchase items;

and

determining the purchase item identifiers.

10. A method comprising:

at a mobile computing device including a display device;

capturing, by a shopper using a mobile computing device, images of barcodes of items to be purchased by the shopper;

generating purchase item identifiers of the items based on the captured images;

generating a sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers; and

controlling the display device to display the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers with a timing; and

at a shopper checkout terminal;

reading, from the display device of a computing device, the displayed sequence of machine-readable representations of purchase item identifiers associated with the images of barcodes of items to be purchased, wherein the images were captured by the mobile computing device;

in response to reading each machine-readable representation, controlling an output device of the shopper terminal to output a control signal to control timing of display of each of the machine-readable representations in accordance with the sequence; and

conducting a purchase transaction for a user to purchase the items based on the read machine-readable representations.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein reading the displayed sequence of machine-readable representations comprises reading a displayed sequence of barcodes.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the machine-readable representations comprise one or more of position coordinates for a location where a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, a time when a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, proximity information of a computing device, discount information for a purchase item, shopper profile information, transaction security information, payment information, and purchase item information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein controlling an output device to output a control signal comprises controlling the output device to output one or more of an audible signal, a vibratory signal, an electromagnetic signal, and an optical signal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising applying a validation analysis to the product item identifiers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the machine-readable representations further comprise communication layer information that identifies a number of machine-readable representations to be read in a transaction,

wherein the method further comprises determining an actual number of machine-readable representations that were read, and

wherein applying a validation analysis comprises comparing the number of machine-readable representations to be read and the actual number of machine-readable representations that were read.

16. A system comprising:

a mobile computing device comprising;

a display device;

a camera configured to capture images of items presented thereto, wherein the items are to be purchased by the shopper;

an input device configured to receive a plurality of signals from a shopper terminal that indicate acknowledgement of reading of a sequence of machine-readable representations of product item identifiers associated with the items; and

a transaction manager configured to;

generate the purchase item identifiers of the items based on the captured images in response to capture of the images;

generate the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers;

control the display device to display the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers with timing; and

control the timing of the display of the sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers in response to acknowledgement signals received from a shopper checkout terminal in response to the checkout terminal reading each of the machine-readable representations of the sequence displayed; and

the shopper checkout terminal comprising;

an input device configured to read each of the machine-readable representations of the sequence displayed on the display device of the mobile computing device; and

a transaction application configured to conduct a self-checkout purchase transaction for the shopper for the items.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the machine-readable representations each comprise an optical machine-readable representation.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the machine-readable representations further comprise one or more of position coordinates for a location where a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, a time when a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, proximity information of a computing device, discount information for a purchase item, shopper profile information, transaction security information, payment information, and purchase item information.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the transaction manager is configured to:

receive shopping data associated with the purchase item identifiers;

generate a machine-readable representation of the shopping data;

control the display device to display the machine-readable representation of the shopping data; and

wherein the input device is configured to receive a signal from the shopper terminal that indicates acknowledgement of reading of the machine-readable representation of the shopping data.

20. A system comprising:

a mobile computing device configured to;

capture images of items presented thereto, wherein the items are to be purchased by a shopper;

generate purchase item identifiers of the items based on the captured images;

generate a sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers;

control a display device of the mobile computing device to sequentially display a sequence of machine-readable representations of the purchase item identifiers;

receive a plurality of signals that indicate acknowledgement of reading of the sequence of machine-readable representations to control timing of display of each of the machine-readable representations in the sequence; and

control the display device to display the sequence of machine-readable representations based on the signals; and

a shopper terminal configured to;

read the displayed sequence of machine-readable representations;

control an output device to output a control signal for requesting display of another of the machine-readable representations in response to reading each machine-readable representation; and

conduct a self-checkout purchase transaction for the shopper for the items.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine-readable representations comprise one or more of position coordinates for a location where a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, a time when a machine-readable representation of a purchase item identifier was read, proximity information of a computing device, discount information for a purchase item, shopper profile information, transaction security information, payment information, and purchase item information.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine-readable representations each comprise a bar code.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the shopper terminal is configured to control the output device to output one or more of an audible signal, a vibratory signal, an electromagnetic signal, and an optical signal.