Commodity registration processing apparatus

• US 8,109,439 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Osamu, Iizaka, Hitoshi, Yamada, Yoshiya, Mihara, Hidemi, Kurihara, Norihiko, Naitou, Hidehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US12/419,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20090250516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 commodity registration processing apparatus detects, with a commodity sensor, whether a commodity is present in an imaging area of an imaging device and, when the commodity sensor detects that the commodity is present in the imaging area, decodes a commodity code barcode or the commodity code barcode and a discount barcode on the basis of image data acquired by imaging by the imaging device, and performs registration and price adjustment processing for the commodity on the basis of a decoding result of the commodity code barcode or the decoding result of the commodity code barcode and a decoding result of the discount barcode.

Claims

1. A commodity registration processing apparatus comprising:

an imaging device that images a first data code or the first data code and a second data code attached to a commodity;

a commodity sensor that detects whether the commodity is present in an imaging area of the imaging device;

a decoding unit that decodes, while the commodity sensor detects that the commodity is present in the imaging area, the first data code or the first data code and the second data code on the basis of image data acquired by the imaging by the imaging device;

a registration processing unit that performs at least registration processing for the commodity on the basis of a decoding result of the first data code acquired by the decoding unit or the decoding result of the first data code and a decoding result of the second data code;

a first memory unit that stores the decoding result of the first data code acquired by the decoding unit;

a second memory unit that stores the decoding result of the second data code acquired by the decoding unit; and

a data-storage checking unit that determines whether the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit;

wherein the registration processing unit performs, if the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit as a result of the determination by the data-storage checking unit, at least the registration processing for the commodity on the basis of the decoding result of the first data code or the decoding result of a first data code and the decoding result of the second data code acquired by the decoding unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first data code represents a code peculiar to the commodity;

and

the second data code represents a discount code of the commodity.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the commodity sensor is provided near the imaging device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the commodity sensor includes an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

5. A commodity registration processing apparatus comprising:

a scanner unit that includes an imaging device that images a first data code attached to a commodity and representing a code of the commodity or the first data code and a second data code representing a discount code of the commodity, the scanner unit decoding the first data code or the first data code and the second data code on the basis of image data acquired by the imaging by the imaging device;

a server that stores at least price information of the commodity corresponding to the first data code and price information of a discount of the commodity corresponding to the second data code; and

a cash register that inquires of the server about at least a decoding result of the first data code acquired by the scanner unit, reads out at least the price information of the commodity from the server, and performs price adjustment processing for the commodity, wherein the scanner unit includes a commodity sensor that detects whether the commodity is present in an imaging area of the imaging device, and the cash resister includes;

a first memory unit that stores, while the commodity sensor detects that the commodity is present in the imaging area, a decoding result of the first data code acquired by the scanner unit;

a second memory unit that stores, while the commodity sensor detects that the commodity is present in the imaging area, a decoding result of the second data code acquired by the scanner unit;

a data-storage checking unit that determines whether the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit; and

a registration processing unit that performs, if the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit as a result of the determination by the data-storage checking unit, at least registration processing for the commodity on the basis of the decoding result of the first data code or the decoding result of the first data code and the decoding result of the second data code acquired by the decoding unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the commodity sensor includes an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

7. A commodity registration processing method comprising:

imaging, with an imaging device, a first data code or the first data code and a second data code attached to a commodity;

detecting whether the commodity is present in an imaging area of the imaging device;

decoding, while detecting that the commodity is present in the imaging area, the first data code or the first data code and the second data code on the basis of image data acquired by the imaging by the imaging device;

performing at least registration processing for the commodity on the basis of a decoding result of the first data code or the decoding result of the first data code and a decoding result of the second data code;

storing in a first memory unit the decoding result of the first data code acquired by the decoding;

storing in a second memory unit the decoding result of the second data code acquired by the decoding; and

determining, with a data-storage checking unit, whether the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit;

wherein the registration processing performs, if the decoding result of the first data code is stored in the first memory unit as a result of the determination by the data-storage checking unit, at least the registration processing for the commodity on the basis of the decoding result of the first data code or the decoding result of the first data code and the decoding result of the second data code acquired by the decoding unit.