EP1813172A1 - Self-service merchandise checkout area - Google Patents

Abstract

The self service product detection station has a read device for collecting goods, a data processing system, two bilateral arranged storage area for goods or shopping basket or shopping cart, and a dormant scale (17) attached in front of the self service product detection station. The dormant scale is integrated in a base plate (16), which is arranged before the self service product detection station. An independent claim is also included for a method for collecting goods at self service product detection station.

Description

The present invention relates to a self-service goods detection station according to the preamble of claim 1.

In conventional cash register systems in supermarkets, each goods collection station is occupied by an operator who scans the goods purchased by a customer and then collects the total amount of the purchased goods. This system is very personnel intensive. Therefore, various self-service product registration points have already been proposed ( EP 0 403 670 A1 . US 5,316,107 . DE 35 24 231 A1 . EP 0 294 470 B1 . DE 102 07 568 A1 ).

A generic self-service goods detection station is in EP 0 178 223 A2 described. This goods detection station has a terminal with a reading device. To the left and right of the terminal, a floor scale is ever provided, on a floor scale a shopping cart with the purchased goods and on the other floor scale an empty shopping cart is provided. To avoid fraudulent attempts by customers, the weight of the full shopping cart is recorded by the floor scale and stored in the memory of a computer. A customer now takes the full shopping cart gradually the purchased items and leads them past the reading device. In this case, a printed on the article code, usually a barcode, scanned. The thus determined, specific goods data, in particular the price and the weight of the goods are also taken over into the memory of the computer. The scanned goods are then stored in the originally empty shopping cart. The weight of this shopping cart or stored therein goods is constantly recorded. Fraud attempts are made very difficult by this system. On the one hand, there is a check in that a weight reduction comparing a floor scale with the weight gain of the other floor scale. These values must be the same except for a small tolerance. On the other hand, the weight of the goods determined by the computer is used for checking, which is compared with the weights determined on the two floor scales. After all goods have been scanned, the customer goes to a cashier, who closes the cash register process only if the weight comparisons have agreed.

The self-service goods detection station described above is designed for shopping with shopping carts. In the DE 10 2004 016 213 A1 is described in addition, as well as other shopping, such as shopping baskets or bags that are preferred by customers for small purchases like the cart, on a right and left with floor scales provided self-service goods detection can be used by the two floor scales each a structure is attached for hanging a shopping basket and / or shopping bags or other shopping containers.

The disadvantage of both solutions is that in each case two voluminous and expensive floor scales have to be used.

It is an object of the present invention to avoid this disadvantage of the prior art.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1 and claim 4. By using only a floor scale, which is preferably integrated in a floor panel to be entered by the customer in the goods detection, which is located frontally in front of the self-service goods detection station on the ground, a significant cost reduction can be achieved because instead of the two usually On the right and left of the self-service goods inspection area arranged floor scales only a single frontal located in front of the self-service goods detection area floor scale is required. Through various measurements during the acquisition process, the weight of the actually scanned goods can be determined. In addition, the susceptibility of the self-service goods collection point is reduced. The variety of use is increased, since the position of the shopping containers can be made more flexible and ergonomic by eliminating the large floor scales.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines im Stand der Technik bekannten Selbstbedienungs-Warenerfassungsplatzes mit zwei, jeweils auf einer Bodenwaage stehenden Einkaufswagen

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen . Selbstbedienungs-Warenerfassungsplatzes mit einer frontal vor dem Selbstbedienungs-Warenerfassungsplatz angeordneten Bodenwaage.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment. In the accompanying drawing shows:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a self-service goods detection station known in the art with two, each standing on a floor scale shopping cart

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of an inventive. Self-service goods detection area with a floor scale located in front of the self-service goods detection area.

The self-service goods detection station of the prior art shown in Fig. 1 has a terminal 1 which stands up with a base 2 on the floor. The substructure 2 houses a computer and other equipment required for the operation of the terminal 1. The base 2 closes up with a flat table surface, in which a barcode reader 3 is integrated with integrated scale for detecting the weight of fruits, vegetables and other, not priced-piece goods. Above the substructure 2, a control panel 4 is arranged. The control panel 4 has a display, for example, with a touch screen 5 for entering goods-related data and other inputs, such. As a fault message, a screen 6 for displaying customer information such. As the price and weight of the scanned goods, a PIN input keyboard 7, a card reader card 8 for credit cards and debit cards, a speaker 22, a card reader 23 and an output slot 9 for a receipt.

On the right and left of the terminal 1 floor scales 10 and 11 are arranged. These each have a mounting plate 10.1, 11.1 for a shopping cart 12 or 13. To facilitate the pushing of the shopping cart 12, 13 on the mounting plates 10.1, 11.1 ramps 10.2 and 11.2 are provided. The mounting plates 10.1 and 11.1 are surrounded by a side edge 10.3 or 11.3, which is open to the ramps 10.2, 11.2 out.

At the terminal 1 facing ends of the floor scales 10, 11 headband 14 and 15 are provided for shopping bags that protrude from the mounting plates 10.1 and 11.1 upwards and to this z. B. are fixed by a weld or screw.

In Fig. 2, an inventive self-service goods detection system is shown schematically. It consists of a terminal 1, consisting of a base 2 and an overlying control panel 4. In the control panel 4 are a touch screen 5, a screen 6, a PIN input keyboard 7, a card reader 8, a dispensing slot 9, and a speaker 22 and a Card reader 23 arranged. Frontal in front of the self-service goods detection station is a floor scale 17. Preferably, the floor scale 17 is integrated into a bottom plate 16 so that it is protected from damage. The integrated floor scale 17 has a data connection, not shown here, via which the weighing data to a terminal 1 also not shown Control unit or forwarded directly to a data processing device. To the bottom plate 16 right and left ramps 18, 19 are applied, which facilitate the entry of the bottom plate 16 by the customer. The bottom plate 16 and the ramps 18, 19 may be made of any materials, preferably materials are used, which are commonly used in shopfitting. The bottom plate 16 with the integrated floor scale 17 and the two ramps 18, 19 is preferably carried out in a pedestal and placed on the floor. Alternatively, the bottom plate 16 with the integrated floor scale 17 can also be sunk embedded in the floor. The two ramps 18, 19 are then not required.

The following describes a self-check-out using the self-service goods detection facility described above.

A customer drives his shopping basket 12 filled with goods from one side to the terminal 1. Alternatively, he can also attach a shopping bag or grocery bag 21 to a support rod 20 on the bracket 14. The brackets 14, 15 not only allow the attachment of a shopping container to a support rod 20, but also serve as a ram protection for the terminal 1. On the other side is either an empty shopping cart 13 or an empty grocery bag 21 is on a support rod 20 on the bracket 15th attached.

At the beginning of the goods registration, the customer enters the bottom plate 16 with the integrated floor scale 17. To initiate the self-check-out process, the customer presses a correspondingly marked area of the touch screen 5. This first results in a weighing process on the bottom plate 16 with integrated floor scale Triggered 17 standing customers. After completion of the weighing process, the customer is prompted via the screen 6 or the speaker 22 to start scanning the purchased goods. The customer now removes the shopping cart 12 individually Goods and leads them via the barcode reader 3. During the removal of a product from the shopping cart 12 by the customer now increases the weight of the customer exactly to the weight amount of the removed goods. The difference between the initial measurement and the weight measurement during the goods registration thus results in exactly the goods weight of the goods removed from the shopping cart 12. The screen 6 shows the price and weight of the scanned product. After specific data, such as price and weight, of the goods passed by the barcode reader 3 have been detected and fed to a data processing device, which can be signaled via the loudspeaker 22 by a beep, the customer places the scanned product in the other shopping cart 13, After the customer has deposited the scanned product in the shopping cart 13 or in the shopping bag 21, the weight of the on the bottom plate 16 with integrated floor scale 17 is reduced standing customers again exactly the weight of the goods just stored. The at least three weight measurements carried out during the goods acquisition, typically customer without removed goods, customer with removed goods and again customer after stored goods, are processed in a data processing device, for example in the form of an averaging, and then compared with a reference value of the goods stored in the data processing device ,

In a proper Einscannvorgang, taking into account small tolerances, the weight gain on the integrated in the bottom plate 16 floor scale 17 when removing goods from the cart 12 by the customer of weight loss on the integrated floor scale 17 when storing the goods by the customer in the other cart 13 or Grocery bag 21 correspond. Corresponds to the difference in weight on the floor scale 17 deposited in the data processing device Reference value, the customer is acoustically or visually requested to scan another article. If the weight comparison has led to inconsistencies, an audible and / or visual warning signal is issued and the last scanned item must be recorded again.

When all the goods from the shopping cart 12 are stored in the shopping cart 13, the customer pushes a correspondingly marked area of the touchscreen 5 to signal that the scanning process has ended. Thereafter, the total amount of the purchased goods is displayed on the screen 6 and the customer is requested to pay this amount. This can be done via the card reader 8 or via the card reader 22. After paying for the goods, the customer receives a receipt via a delivery slot 9, which as usual identifies the individual items with their prices and the total amount. After the customer has left the base plate 16 with the integrated floor scale 17, and thus the floor scale 17 has transmitted a zero value to the data processing device, the self-service goods detection station is ready for the next customer for goods detection.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

terminal

2

substructure

3

barcode reader

4

Control panel

5

touchscreen

6

screen

7

PIN-entry keypad

8th

Swipe card reader

9

output slot

10

Floor scale right

10.1

Mounting plate right

10.2

Ramp on the right

10.3

Page border on the right

11

Floor scale left

11.1

Mounting plate left

11.2

Ramp left

11.3

Page border on the left

12

Shopping cart right

13

Shopping cart left

14

Bracket right

15

Bracket left

16

baseplate

17

floor scale

18

Ramp on the right

19

Ramp left

20

Handrail

21

Shopping bag

22

speaker

23

Card Feed Readers

Claims (4)

Self-service goods detection station with a reading device (3) for detecting the goods, a data processing device, two storage locations for the goods and / or a shopping basket and / or a shopping cart and with a frontal mounted in front of the self-service goods detection point by the customer during the goods detection process to entering floor scales (17) Self-service goods detection station according to claim 1, characterized in that the floor scale (17) in a bottom plate (16) is integrated, which is arranged in front of the self-service goods detection station. Self-service goods detection station according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the floor scale (17) is connected via a data connection with a data processing device. Method for detecting goods at a self-service goods detection station according to claim 1, characterized by the following method steps: - the customer puts a shopping container with the goods to be recorded and / or the goods themselves on the filing place, the weight of the customer when he enters the floor scale (17) is measured - then the weight of the customer is measured with a product taken in particular from the shopping cart, after the goods have been picked up by the reading device (3), the weight of the customer is recorded after the goods have been deposited in a second shopping container parked in the second storage space, - Where from the weight measurements in a Datenverarbeitungsein direction, the weight of the detected goods is determined and this measured weight is compared with the stored in a database for the goods behind weight and a signal is triggered in case of deviations.

Images