WO1991019962A1

WO1991019962A1 - Weighing apparatus and a carrier for use with the apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1991019962A1
Application number: PCT/GB1991/000940
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Keir Haffenden
Original assignee: Dansam Holdings Limited
Priority date: 1990-06-12
Filing date: 1991-06-12
Publication date: 1991-12-26
Also published as: AU7980091A; AU7983791A; AU7979991A; WO1991019961A1; GB9013042D0; WO1991020058A1

Abstract

A trolley (1) for customer use in a retail outlet such as a supermarket comprises a frame (24) and a container (32) which is capable of limited vertical movement relatively to the frame (24). In use, a customer selects goods for sale and places them in the container (32) recording each item, for example, by means of a bar-code reader (3), which generates a total weight for the selected items. When selection is complete, the customer positions the trolley (1) in weighing apparatus (18) which has latching means (65) for retaining the trolley (1) in the weighing apparatus. A weighing device (58) is raised to take the weight of a container (32) and the goods contained in it. If the measured weight by the weighing device (58) matches that recorded by the bar-code reader (3), the customer can pay for the goods without individual checking of the selected items.

Description

WEIGHING APPARATUS AND A CARRIER FOR USE WITH THE

APPARATUS

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to storage and updating apparatus for data devices. In a preferred embodiment, the data devices are bar-code readers for use by customers in a retail outlet, such as a supermarket. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

GB2068132 discloses a check-out system in which customers use a device such as a bar-code reader to identify each article which they select. The device records not only the price of each article, but also its weight. At the check-out, the total weight of the articles selected by the customer is determined and, if this is consistent with that recorded by the customer using the device, the customer pays the amount recorded by the device. Thus, there is no need for check-out personnel to check each article individually, unless there is a discrepancy between the actual weight and the recorded weight.

In the check-out system of GB2068132, the goods selected by the customer need to be removed for weighing from the trolley or other carrier in which they are collected. Consequently, although each item does not need to be individually checked, it is still necessary to unload them all from the trolley and then, perhaps to replace them in the trolley so that they can be carried to the customer's car. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided weighing apparatus for weighing contents of a wheeled carrier, the carrier comprising a wheeled frame and a container supported on the frame for vertical displacement, the weighing apparatus comprising latching means for retaining the carrier with respect to the apparatus, a weighing device which is upwardly displaceable to take the weight of the container and its contents, and actuating means for displacing the latching means and the weighing device. In a preferred embodiment, the actuating means comprises a common actuator which is operable to displace both the latching means and the weighing device. The actuator may be an electric screw jack.

The weighing device and the latching means may be carried by a common mounting plate which is displaceable by the actuating means upwardly and downwardly with respect to a support of the apparatus. The mounting plates may be connected to the support by a parallelogram linkage.

The actuating means may be operable automatically when a wheeled carrier is correctly positioned in the weighing apparatus. This may be achieved by providing an optical sensor which is responsive to a wheeled carrier. In a preferred embodiment, the optical sensor is connected to control circuitry which counts the vertical bars forming part of the structure of the wheeled carrier, and so monitors the position of the wheeled carrier with respect to the weighing apparatus. The circuitry then causes operation of the actuating means when the wheeled carrier has reached a predetermined position.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheeled carrier comprising a wheeled frame and a container which is supported on the frame by coupling means which permits limited vertical displacement of the container relatively to the frame.

The coupling may comprise a spigot secured to the container and a bracket which is secured to the frame which has a hole through which the spigot extends, the vertical dimension of the hole being greater than the vertical dimension of the spigot.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET The frame may be provided with a compartment for receiving goods, which compartment is rigidly secured to the frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a diagrammatic floor plan of a supermarket;

Figure 2 shows a carrier in the form of a supermarket trolley;

Figure 3 shows part of the trolley, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV- IV in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a front view of a data reader; Figure 6 is an underneath view of the data reader of Figure 5;

Figure 7 shows a weighing station; Figure 8 is a side view showing a trolley positioned in the weighing station;

Figure 9 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 8; Figure 10 shows storage apparatus for data readers;

Figure 10A shows part of the storage apparatus on an enlarged scale;

Figure 11 is an end view of the storage apparatus of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a sectional view of a data cup; Figure 13 is a plan view of the data cup; Figure 14 is a block diagram representing electrical circuitry of the storage apparatus; and Figure 15 shows a block diagram of a supermarket payment control system. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The supermarket represented in Figure 1 has an entrance 2, through which customers pass to enter the sale area 4, where goods for sale are displayed on gondolas and other shelving units 6. When customers have selected the goods which they require, they pass to a checking and payment area 8 and, after payment, to an exit 10.

On entering the sales area by way of the entrance 2, customers can collect a trolley 1 (which will be described in more detail later) from a collection point 12. They also collect a data reader 3 (which also will be described in greater detail later) from a magazine 14. As the customer passes through the sales area 4, each article selected is recorded by the data reader as it is placed in the trolley. For this purpose, the articles for sale are marked with a bar code which is read by the data reader. The data reader records the price and weight of each article by recalling the information from the memory of the data reader once the product has been identified from its bar code. Alternatively, the bar code on the article may include price and/or weight data. At various points around the sales area, carrier bags or other containers for use by the customer may be available so that the goods selected can be packaged conveniently as they are collected from the shelves. Even if such carrier bags are provided free of charge, they will have a bar code so that their weight can be recorded, since the carrier bags will contribute to the total weight of the articles placed in the trolley.

When the customer's selection is complete, he passes through a one-way gate 16 into the checking and payment area 8. In this area, there are weighing stations 18 into which the customer inserts the loaded trolley. The weighing stations also include means for retrieving information from the data reader, and consequently a comparison is made between the actual weight of the goods in the trolley and the weight recorded in the data reader. If these weights correspond with each other, the customer is directed to payment stations 20 at which payment for the goods is made and the data reader is handed in for replacement in the magazine 14. The customer then leaves the supermarket through the exit 10. If the measured weight of the goods fails to correspond to that recorded in the data reader the customer is directed from the weighing station 18 to a manual checking station 22, where service personnel of the supermarket will manually check the articles in the customer's trolley before payment is made at the payment stations 20.

A trolley 1 is shown in Figure 2 to 4. The trolley comprises a wheeled frame 24 having a handle 26, a child's seat 28 (shown folded) and a compartment 30. A main container 32 in the form of a basket, for receiving articles selected by the customer, is mounted in the frame 24 by means of spigots 34, provided on the container 32, which extend into brackets 36 fitted to the frame 24. This is shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4. Each bracket 36 is in the form of a rectangular metal plate having a triangular hole 38 with its apex directed downwards. The spigot 34 is in the form of a bolt which is screwed into a captive nut provided on a plate 40 welded to the container 32. A large washer 41 is provided between the head of the bolt 34 and the bracket 36. In normal use, the weight of the container 32 is supported on the frame 24, with the spigots 34 lying in the downwardly directed apices of the holes 38. The container can be raised slightly from the brackets 36 for weighing, as will be described later. The handle 26 may be provided with a clip for receiving the data reader, and is also provided with a bar code (not shown) identifying the trolley concerned and, in particular, identifying the weight of the container 32.

The data reader 3 is shown in Figures 5 and 6. It comprises a moulded body 42 provided, at one end, with a bar code reader 44. On one face of the body 42, there is a display device 46, for example a liquid crystal display, a "+" button 48 and a "-" button 50. The end part 52 of the body 42 away from the bar code reader 44 and the display device 46 is formed as a handle, which is provided with a connector 52, having terminals for both power and data transmission. The data reader 3 includes a memory and a rechargeable battery. For normal use, the memory contains data representing the price, average gross weight and standard deviation from the average gross weight of each article for sale in the supermarket. For some products, for example fruit and vegetables which are selected by the customer in the quantity that he requires, a price label is applied by him or by a member of the supermarket staff after weighing the selected produce. This price label will include a bar code identifying the product and its price, and the memory in the data reader will include data representing the price per unit weight of that product. Consequently, the data reader can convert the price, read from the bar code on the product, to a weight.

As a customer selects an article, he presses the "+" button 48 which activates the reader and then uses the reader to read the bar code on the article. Confirmation that the bar code has been read correctly is provided by an audible signal such as a bleep. If a customer changes his mind and wishes to remove an article which he has formerly selected, he presses the "-" button 50 and then uses the reader to read the bar code on that article before replacing it on the shelf.

The display 46 will indicate the last transaction, for example it will carry the description of the last article added to or removed from the trolley, including its price, and the number of articles of that description which have been added or taken out. The display will also show the total price of all the articles so far selected. The display device 46 may also be used to display error messages and prompts to the customer.

The data reader will not function to read bar codes from articles selected by the customer until it has been activated by reading the bar code on the trolley. When this has been done, the reader is directly associated with that particular trolley. If a customer wishes to use more than one trolley, then the bar code for each trolley must be read before any selection of articles is made.

To avoid unnecessary power consumption, the bar code reader 44 is deactivated after a valid bar code has been read, or after a predetermined period has expired following operation of one of the buttons 48 or 50. The bar code reader 44 is reactivated following use of either of the buttons 48 or 50. Figures 7 to 9 shows a weighing station 18. The weighing station comprises a support 56, on which is supported a weighing unit 57 including a weighing platform 58 and a data interface 59 having a socket 60 for receiving the reader. There is also a display 62 providing instructions and guidance to the customer. A mounting plate 54 is carried on the support 56 by parallelogram links 55. The mounting plate carries the weighing unit 57 and a latching hook 65. An actuator 61, for example an electrically driven screw jack, is mounted on the support 56 and is connected to a lug 63 on the mounting plate 54.

Photoelectric devices 64 are provided to detect the presence of a trolley. In some embodiments, it may be possible for the photoelectric devices 60 to be able also to detect a basket, and to distinguish between baskets and trolleys. A bar-code reader (not shown) at the weighing station may automatically read the bar¬ code of a trolley 1 as it is moved onto the weighing platform 258. When a trolley is wheeled into the weighing station, its presence is detected by the photoelectric devices 64. The devices 64 may, for example, be connected to circuitry for counting vertical wires forming the container 30, so as to monitor the position of the trolley 1. When the trolley 1 is in the correct position, the actuator 61 is operated to raise the mounting plate 54, so as to engage the hook 65 with the front rail of the trolley frame 24.

Raising the mounting plate 54 also causes the weighing unit 57 to rise by a short distance. Where a trolley is present in the weighing station, raising of the weighing platform 58 lifts the container 32 off the brackets 36, so that the weighing unit 57 is responsive only to the weight of the container 32 and its contents. It will be appreciated that the compartment 30 is not lifted by the weighing device, and so it, and anything contained in it, will not be weighed. The compartment 30 can therefore be used by the customer to carry his own carrier bags or boxes, or goods which need to be paid for. separately, for one reason or another (for example if the reader 3 fails to respond to the bar code on the product) .

The reader 3 is applied to the socket 60 and transmits to the processing circuitry of the weighing station data relating to the number of trolleys used and the weights of their containers 32 (as derived by reading the bar codes on the trolleys ) and the total recorded weight of the articles selected by the customer. If more than one trolley has been used, the display 62 will give instructions to the customer to insert each trolley in turn. The actual weight of the articles selected by the customer is then compared with the total weight recorded in the data reader, applied to the socket 60. If the weights match, a validation code is read into the data reader, and the display 62 instructs the customer to proceed to the payment station.

The payment station includes consoles 20 which each have facilities for receiving payment in the usual ways. The data reader 3 is connected to the payment console and transmits information to the payment console which includes a list of items purchased, the total price and the validation code read into the data reader from the weighing station. The customer is provided with a print-out of the list of items purchased for him to check before payment. When the customer accepts the list, the data reader is removed from the payment console 20, and connected to a socket provided on a cash till. The total price stored in the data reader is then downloaded to the cash till, and payment is made by the customer. Following payment, the customer can proceed to the exit 10. The reader is removed from the till and returned to the magazine 14 for resetting and recharging (if necessary).

If payment does not proceed for any reason, for example because the customer is unable to pay or requires an adjustment to the list of articles, a

"reject" button is pressed, the data reader is removed from the payment console and the customer is directed to the manual checking stations 22.

At each manual checking station 22 there is a bar code scanner, for use by a manual check-out operator, and a connection for the customer's data reader. If the manual check-out system finds an article which accounts for the failure in the normal weighing and payment routine, this is announced to the operator and payment may proceed without a complete manual check of the entire contents of the trolley. At the exit 10, there is a trolley verifying device 68 and a data reader alarm 70. The trolley verifying device is coupled to the magazine 14. When payment has been made, the subsequent replacement of the data reader in the magazine 14 generates a signal which is transmitted to the trolley verifying device 68 identifying the trolley or trolleys in question. As a customer approaches the exit 10, the bar code 40 on the trolley is read and a one-way gate at the exit 10 will open only if the trolley is one for which a signal has been received from the magazine 14.

The data reader alarm 70 is provided to prevent unauthorised removal of the data readers from the premises, either intentionally or by mistake. The data readers may, for example, be provided with a tagging device which will activate the alarm 70 if a data reader is taken through the exit 10.

As shown in Figure 15, the weighing stations 18, the manual checking stations 22, and the magazine 14, as well as other components of the system, are connected to a computer 72. This enables these parts of the system to communicate with one another. For example, the sales area 4 may be provided with keypads having direct access to the computer 72, for operation by security personnel. If a member of the security staff in the sales area 4 observes a customer who is apparently abusing the system, he can use one of the keypads to inform the computer 72 of the number of the trolley in question. The trolleys may be provided with easily read alphanumeric identifying numbers for this purpose. The computer 72 will then provide an appropriate signal to the weighing stations 18 which will cause them to reject the trolley in question automatically so that it is presented for manual checking. An administration terminal may be provided at which store personnel -will be able to call up on to a screen data relating to operation of the system, for example a list of the trolley numbers currently suspected of fraud or user error.

The magazine 14 and its components are shown in Figures 10 to 13. The magazine comprises a wheeled base unit 74 to which a plurality of holders 76 are fitted. Each holder 76 has a face plate as shown in Figure 10A.

It will be appreciated from Figures 10 and 11 that the holders 76 are provided on opposite sides of the magazine 14, and are arranged in rows. Each upper row is offset inwardly of the magazine 14 with respect to the row below it, and this allows readers 3 connected to the holders 76 to overlie one another partially, as shown in Figure 11.

The face plate of each holder 76 (Figure 10A) is provided with two apertures, namely a rectangular aperture 80 near the top and an inverted T-shaped aperture near the bottom. These apertures receive a data cup 84, shown in Figures 12 and 13. Each data cup 84 has an upper lug 86 which engages the aperture 80 and a lower lug 88 which engages the aperture 82, to retain the data cup on the face plate of the holder 76. The data cup 84 has a recess 90 for receiving the handle 52 of a reader 3. At the bottom of the recess 90 there are four terminal pins 92 for engagement with corresponding sockets which are accessible through holes 94 in the connector 53 of the reader 3. Electrical connections to the terminal pins 92 are made through the aperture 82 in the face plate of the holder 76.

The base unit 74 includes two power supplies 96 and two PC's 98, each power supply and PC serving one side of the magazine 14. Consequently, even if one of the power supplies 96 or PC's 98 fail, rendering one side of the magazine 14 inoperative, the other side of the magazine can continue to operate.

Each PC 98 is programmed to control the supply of charging current to the appropriate terminals of the data cups 84 and thence to the readers 3. Each PC 98 is also programmed to control the transmission of data to and from the readers 3. Figure 14 diagrammatically represents the control circuitry for one row of holders 76 of the magazine 14. Each data cup 84 is shown as having three connections; the fourth terminal pin 92 is earthed.

The circuitry comprises a data connector 100 for connection to the PC 98, and a power supply connector 102 for connection to the power supply 96. A power controller 104 receives information from the data connector 100 as to the presence of a reader 3 in each of the data cups 84, and the state of charge of the batteries of those readers. This information is transmitted to the data connector 100 from each data cup 84 via a data output interface 106. A data input interface 108 is also connected to the data connector 100 for transmitting data to the data cups 84, for example to update information stored in the memory of the readers 3.

When a reader 3 is inserted into a data cup 84, the information regarding its state of charge is passed to the data connector 100. If the charge is sufficiently low to warrant recharging of the battery in the reader 3, an appropriate signal is sent to the power controller 104, which will then connect the respective data cup 84 to the power supply connector 102 to provide a boost charging current, provided that no other data cup 84 is receiving a boost charging current at that time. If a reader 3 is already receiving a boost charging current, the new reader ■•'ill be placed in a queue, since the system is controlled so that only one data cup in any group can receive charging current at a time. This is to avoid overloading the power supply, and overheating of the magazine 14 in the event that a large number of readers require charging at the same time. If updating of information stored in the memories of the data readers 3 is required, this can be supplied to the data connector 100 either from the PC (via a floppy disc) or from a "master" data reader connected to a "master" data cup of the magazine 14. Each reader then inserted into a data cup 84 will be interrogated to determine whether or not it yet has the updated information. If it does not have the updated information, then this information is transmitted to the appropriate terminal pin 92 of the data cup 84 through the data interface 108.

Because the holders 76 are disposed on opposite sides of the magazine 14, customers can take fully charged and updated data readers 3 from one side of the magazine 14, while returned data readers 3 can be placed in the data cups on the other side of the magazine 14 by in-store operators attending the payment consoles 30. As mentioned previously, replacement of a reader 3 in the magazine 14 provides the signal enabling the associated trolley or trolleys to be taken through the exit gate 10. When all readers on one side have been removed by customers, or when the other side of the magazine 14 is full, the magazine can be turned round so that the side having the most data readers is presented to customers entering the store.

Claims

1. Weighing apparatus for weighing contents of a wheeled carrier (1), the carrier comprising a wheeled frame (24) and a container (32) supported on the frame (24) for vertical displacement, the weighing apparatus (18) comprising latching means (65) for retaining the carrier (1) with respect to the apparatus (18), a weighing device (58) which is upwardly displaceable to take the weight of the container (32) and its contents, and actuating means (61) for displacing the latching means (65) and the weighing device (58).

2. Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the actuating means comprises a common actuator (61) which displaces both the latching means (65) and the weighing device (58).

3. Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the actuator (61) is an electric screw jack.

4. Weighing apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the weighing device (58) and the latching means (65) are carried by a common member (54) which is displaceable upwardly and downwardly relatively to a support (56) of the apparatus.

5. Weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the member (54) is connected to the support (56) by a parallelogram linkage (55).

6. Weighing apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that an optical sensor (64) is provided for detecting the presence of a carrier (1) in the apparatus.

7. A wheeled carrier comprising a wheeled frame (24) and a container (32), characterised in that the container (32) is connected to the frame (24) by a coupling which permits limited vertical movement of the container (32) relatively to the frame (24).

8. A wheeled carrier as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the coupling comprises a spigot (34) secured to the container (32) and a bracket (36) which is secured to the frame (24) and which has a hole (38) through which the spigot (34) extends, the vertical dimension of the hole (38) being greater than the vertical dimension of the spigot (36).

9. A wheeled carrier as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the frame 24 is provided with a compartment (30) for goods, which compartment (30) is fixed rigidly to the frame (24 ) .

10. A retail outlet comprising a plurality of wheeled carriers for customer use, the wheeled carriers being in accordance with any one of claims 7 to 9, and weighting apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 6.