Method of and system for displaying product related information at POS-based retail checkout systems

• US 8,474,712 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kearney, Sean Philip, Giordano, Patrick Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/248,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 23546201-46242, 23547201-47203
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1096 the scanner having more than one scanning window, e.g. two substantially orthogonally placed scanning windows for integration into a check-out counter of a super-market
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

A bi-optical code symbol reading system including a system housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal window adjacent the vertical scanning window; and a digital video display subsystem, disposed within the vertical section of the system housing, and supporting the display of digital images in substantially the same plane as the vertical window during system operation. The digital images displayed by digital video display subsystem can be video images captured by an integrated digital imaging code symbol reading subsystem, to assist the operator in aligning code symbols during scanning operations. The digital images can also be product and price information captured during product scanning operations.

Claims

1. A bi-optical symbol reading system for installation at a point of sale (POS) station, comprising:

a system housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical scanning window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal scanning window adjacent said vertical scanning window;

a laser scanning subsystem disposed in said system housing, for generating and projecting a plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical and horizontal scanning windows, which intersect within a 3D scanning volume defined between said vertical and horizontal scanning windows and provide a laser scanning pattern within said 3D scanning volume, for scanning each product within said 3D scanning volume and producing scan data for decode processing;

a scan data processor for processing said scan data produced by said laser scanning subsystem in effort to read a symbol on each product passed through said 3D scanning volume, and generate symbol character data representative of each said read symbol;

a digital imaging subsystem, disposed within said vertical section of said system housing, for automatically projecting a field of view (FOV) into said 3D scanning volume, and capturing and processing one or more digital images of each product present in said FOV;

a digital heads-up display (HUD) image projection subsystem, disposed within said vertical section of said system housing, and supporting the projection of a heads-up display (HUD) for each product, on a portion of said vertical scanning window, wherein each said HUD contains price and other information of each product identified during checkout operations at said POS station; and

a system controller for automatically controlling the operation of said laser scanning subsystem during said system operation.

2. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said laser scanning pattern is an omni-directional laser scanning pattern within said 3D scanning volume.

3. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, which includes an automatic wake-up detector for detecting the presence of an operator in proximity of said system housing.

4. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, comprising an automatic object edge-motion detection subsystem.

5. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, comprising a digital display subsystem for displaying digital images on a portion of said vertical scanning window.

6. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, comprising:

a digital imaging subsystem for capturing digital images having a field of view projected through said vertical scanning window; and

a digital display subsystem for displaying digital images captured by said digital imaging subsystem on a portion of said vertical scanning window.

7. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 1, comprising:

a digital imaging subsystem for capturing digital video having a field of view projected through said vertical scanning window; and

a digital display subsystem for displaying digital video captured by said digital imaging subsystem on a portion of said vertical scanning window.

8. A bi-optical symbol reading system comprising:

a system housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical scanning window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal scanning window adjacent said vertical scanning window;

a digital imaging subsystem, disposed within said system housing, supporting the capture of digital video of each product presented within a field of view (FOV) of said digital imaging subsystem projected through said vertical scanning window; and

a digital video display subsystem, disposed within the vertical section of said system housing, and supporting the display of digital video frames on said vertical scanning window during digital-imaging based symbol reading operations, so as to provide visual feedback and improve symbol and FOV alignment during symbol reading operations.

9. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 8, wherein said digital video display subsystem comprises a digital video projection display subsystem supporting the display of digital video frames on said vertical scanning window during digital-imaging based symbol reading operations, so as to provide visual feedback and improve symbol and FOV alignment during symbol reading operations.

10. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 8, comprising an automatic wake-up detector for detecting the presence of an operator in proximity of said system housing.

11. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 8, comprising an automatic object edge-motion detection subsystem.

12. A bi-optical symbol reading system comprising:

a system housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal window adjacent said vertical window;

a symbol reading subsystem for reading symbols having a field of view projected through said vertical window; and

a digital display subsystem, disposed within the vertical section of said system housing, and supporting the display of digital images on a portion of said vertical window during system operation.

13. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, wherein said digital display subsystem comprises a digital video display subsystem supporting the display of digital video frames on said vertical window.

14. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 13, wherein said digital video display subsystem supports the projection of digital video frames on said vertical window.

15. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 13, which further comprises:

a digital imaging subsystem, disposed within said system housing, supporting the capture of digital images of each product presented within a field of view (FOV) of said digital imaging subsystem projected through said vertical window; and

wherein said digital video display subsystem comprises a digital video projection display subsystem supporting the display of digital images on said vertical window during digital-imaging based symbol reading operations.

16. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, which further comprises:

a laser scanning subsystem disposed in said system housing, for generating and projecting a plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical and horizontal windows, to provide a laser scanning pattern within a scanning volume, for scanning each product within said scanning volume and producing scan data for decode processing; and

a scan data processor for processing said scan data produced by said laser scanning subsystem in effort to read a symbol on each product passed through said scanning volume, and generate symbol character data representative of each said read symbol.

17. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, comprising an automatic wake-up detector for detecting the presence of an operator in proximity of said system housing.

18. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, comprising an automatic object edge-motion detection subsystem.

19. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, comprising a digital imaging subsystem for capturing digital images having a field of view projected through said vertical window, wherein said digital display subsystem displays digital images captured by said digital imaging subsystem.

20. The bi-optical symbol reading system of claim 12, comprising a digital imaging subsystem for capturing digital video having a field of view projected through said vertical window, wherein said digital display subsystem displays digital video captured by said digital imaging subsystem.