Self-checkout terminal and control method therefor

• US 9,033,229 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuhisa, Kaoru, Terahara, Toshiyasu, Kawaguchi, Yuuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US14/200,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 23546201-46245, 23547201-47203, 186/35, 186/52, 186/59, 186/61, 705/16
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1404 Methods for optical code recognition

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a self-checkout terminal includes a reading unit and a light emitting unit. The reading unit reads commodity information from a commodity held over a reading position. The light emitting unit emits light in a first color to illuminate the reading position and emits light in a second color in response to the reading of the commodity information by the reading unit.

Claims

1. A self-checkout terminal comprising:

a reading unit having a light source for illuminating a reading position and configured to read commodity information from a commodity held over the reading position and illuminated by the light source; and

a light-amount detecting circuit configured to detect insufficiency of a light amount of illumination on the reading position, and when insufficiency of the light amount is detected by the light-amount detecting circuit, a light emitting unit is configured to emit the light in response to the holding of the commodity over the reading position to auxiliarily illuminate the reading position and turn off the light in response to the reading of the commodity information by the reading unit.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein a range that the light emitting unit illuminates is set smaller than a range in which the reading unit can read the commodity information from the commodity held over the reading position.

3. A control method for a self-checkout terminal including:

a reading unit having a light source for illuminating a reading position and configured to read commodity information from a commodity held over the reading position and illuminated by the light source; and

a light emitting unit configured to auxiliarily illuminate the reading position, the method comprising;

detecting the commodity held over the reading position;

detecting insufficiency of a light amount of illumination on the reading position;

causing the light emitting unit to emit light to auxiliarily illuminate the reading position when the commodity held over the reading position is detected and based on detection of the insufficiency of the light amount of illumination on the reading position; and

turning off the light emitting unit in response to the reading of the commodity information by the reading unit.