WO1990016049A1

WO1990016049A1 - Process and device for registering and checking items

Info

Publication number: WO1990016049A1
Application number: PCT/FR1990/000424
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pierre Raimbault; Henri Perrin
Original assignee: Pierre Raimbault; Henri Perrin
Priority date: 1989-06-14
Filing date: 1990-06-14
Publication date: 1990-12-27
Also published as: FR2648592A1; FR2648592B1

Abstract

In order to register purchased items, each item (20) having a bar code (22) or an equivalent identification and containing a label (24) with n passive set-frequency transmission circuits among N frequencies, with each combination of n frequencies constituting a signature which is assigned to one bar code in particular, the price of the item, having been individually read off the bar codeprinted on each item, is memorized and displayed; and, in a zone through which the item (20) must pass before proceeding to the cash desk, such as the entrance to a receptacle (12), the item's n circuits are identified, the signature provided is compared to the list of signatures memorized previously, and an alarm sounds if there is a lack of congruence between them.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ACCOUNTING AND MONITORING OF ARTICLES

The invention relates to accounting methods and devices (this term being to be taken as meaning the taking into account and the totalization of the price of items purchased) and to control and it finds a particularly important application, although not exclusive, in large-scale stores operating in self-service.

At present, a major criticism made by barges at department stores of this type is the waiting time at the cash desks, necessitated by the one-by-one control of the items purchased, registration and payment. The use of scanning devices for optical reading of bar codes carried by each item saves time by avoiding the cashier having to enter the code or the price of each item individually on an accounting machine. This solution is however only a palliative because, due to the individual verification of each item by an employee, the time spent by each customer at a checkout is practically proportional to the number of items purchased, the collection time generally representing a small fraction of the length of stay at a cash register. The taking into account indeed requires the deposit on a carpet of all the articles, their individual verification, then their reloading.

Another source of dissatisfaction is the near impossibility for the barge to check that the price actually recorded is that which it noted on the shelf. Finally, a reluctance on the part of the customer is the fact that he can only estimate very roughly the amount he will have to pay until the total is displayed at the cash register. We know (FR-A-2 555 339) an installation for a distribution chain which attempts to solve the first problem; it includes, on each cart for collecting purchased items, a reader for entering data written on the packaging of products offered for sale and a summation memory and, on each item, a passive circuit granted, deactivated in the event of reading. At the level of the cash registers, the memories of the counters are emptied and verification that no merchandise presented comprises a passi-f circuit not inhibited by previous reading. This installation has a very serious drawback: it does not leave the customer with the possibility of returning the article to the shelf after reading.

The present invention aims to provide a method and a device which respond better than those previously known to the requirements of practice, in particular in that they eliminate the above defects.

To this end, the invention proposes in particular a method according to which, each article carrying a bar code or equivalent of identification and containing a label with n passive transmission circuits at a determined frequency among N frequencies, each combination of n frequencies constituting a signature assigned to a particular bar code (or to several bar codes corresponding to articles of substantially equal price): the barge causes the storage and display of the price of each article individually picked up by it on a shelving unit to transfer it to a receptacle such as a cart (and possibly display the total price of items already picked up) by reading the bar code, written on the item or the department, before depositing in the cart; and, at a location that must be crossed by the item before going to a cash register, the n circuits it contains are identified and the signature thus provided is compared with the list of signatures that have been previously stored, to trigger an alarm if there is no coincidence.

The location through which the article passes is advantageously defined by detection means at the entrance to the trolley, connected to an electronic device grouping together means for reading the bar code, by means of a pen which the barge must move in front of the barcode carried by the article or the presentation shelf, storage and display means, and

means for excitation of the transmission circuits and means for comparing the signature provided by the article and for verifying the stored correspondence between signatures and bar codes. The detection means can constitute tuning frequency reader curtains successively crossed by the article when it is introduced into the carriage: this solution makes it possible to detect the direction of passage of the article and to constitute a device giving the barge the right to repent. The electronics may include means which subtract from the total previously made the price of the article withdrawn, when the barge, in a determined time interval after extraction of the article, re-reads its bar code. The electronics can be contained in a lockable frame on the carriage and carrying visual display and alarm means.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of a particular mode of embodiment, given by way of nonlimiting example. The description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a block diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the invention, in which the transfer location where the article is detected is located in a frame placed at the entrance of a cart.

- Figure 2 is a sequential block diagram of the method according to the invention;

- Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the accounting operations which normally take place when the barge takes an article from a shelf and places it in the cart or returns it by removing it from the cart;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the electronics fitted to the frame of a carriage of the kind shown in FIG. 1. ζ

A device according to the invention can have the basic material constitution shown in FIG. 1. This device constitutes an assembly 10 in the form of a lockable frame on the top of a carriage 12, for example using a lock allowing 'remove the frame at the exit of the boxes when the barge wishes to push the cart to a parked vehicle. The assembly 10 comprises a frame delimiting the access opening to the interior of the carriage and carrying an electronic unit 14 provided with a display 16 and a pen 18 for optically or magnetic reading of codes to bars. The frame of the set 10 is provided with two means of detecting the frequency of agreement with the passage of an article, at two successive levels, thus constituting two curtains which will be crossed in a first order when the article préle¬ vé on a linear is deposited in the carriage, in the opposite direction when an article is removed from the carriage.

Each of the items made available to the barge (or the shelf on which it is presented) carries a bar code 22 capable of being read with the aid of the pen 18 and contains an identification label 24 inaccessible for the barge also as long as the packaging is intact. The labels 24 are passive and contain n loops tuned to frequencies selected from N predetermined available frequencies, which the electronic unit 14 can discriminate. It is in particular possible to use labels bearing n "4 loops having tuning frequencies f1, f2, f3 and f4 chosen from N = 20 detectable frequencies. We then have n (nl) (n-2) (n-3) combinations, i.e. 20 x 19 x 18 x 17 = 116 280 different combinations in the present case, i.e. -to say a number of different articles corresponding generally to those put on sale in a store of large distribution.

We match, for each barcode 22, a particular combination of n frequencies, or several possible combinations if it is desired to further increase the prevention of fraud. The correspondence between the codes 22 and the frequency combinations is stored in a reprogrammable read-only memory contained in the electronic unit 14.

You can assign the same combination of frequencies to two different items of identical or very similar prices, which increases the maximum number of items that can be made available to customers for the same number of available frequencies. .

Before describing a possible constitution of the electronic unit 14, the main lines of the implementation of the method will be given, with particular reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

The general process (Figure 2) is as follows. To buy an article, the customer chooses it on a linear rack, records it by a cycle of operations 26, the details of which are given in FIG. 3 and places it in the cart. At the end of this cycle, the new total is displayed at 27.

If after reflection he wishes not to buy an item which he has previously booked, he withdraws it from the cart and erases its amount by a new sequence of operations 28, the details of which are given in FIG. 4. When the purchases are completed, that is to say when there is no other item to take into account, he goes to a quick checkout (operation 30) to pay for his purchases, unless, as a result of 'a violation of the prescribed procedure, inadvertent or deliberate, it caused an alarm, materialized by a signal such as the extinction of a green lamp 32 and the lighting of a red lamp 34; in this case it is oriented towards a normal box where the contents of the cart are inventoried.

Successive operations when taking account of an article can be those shown schematically in Figure 3.

The barge who collects an article 20 (operation 32) must read the barcode carried by the article or by the shelf where it was picked up. Reading shows, on the display 16, the mention of the price of the article and of the total already recorded and possibly the nature of the article (operation 34).

The illustrated sequence includes a time delay, of about ten seconds for example, the rolling of which can be brought to the attention of the user by the operation of a buzzer, during which the chosen item must be placed in the cart. If the item is not deposited within this period, the alarm is triggered. The existence of this period makes it possible to reduce the risk of fraud by article substitution.

The deposit of the article 20 in the carriage is detected by successive passage of the article through the two curtains in a determined direction. Simultaneously, the multi-frequency code carried by the article label is read and a comparison is made (operation 38) between the stored bar code and the multi-frequency code: if these two codes are compatible, there is final consideration of the article. The taking into account can be indicated to the customer by the emission of a sound top. Otherwise an alarm is triggered. The possibility of fraud by the simultaneous and deliberate introduction of two articles at the same time is: reduced because there is a reduced probability that the labels of two articles introduced simultaneously pass simultaneously through the curtains. It is further reduced if each bar code is associated, randomly according to the articles, with several frequency combinations or if means of discrimination as a function of the amplitude of the signal are provided. If an article is placed in the cart without first reading the barcode, no comparison is possible and an alarm is triggered.

The restitution sequence can be that shown in FIG. 4: the barge extracts the article to be returned (operation 40). The detection means placed at the entrance of the cart indicate that the item has left and at the same time memorize its multi-frequency code. A buzzer can be provided to draw the barge's attention to the need to read the barcode of the article before placing it on the shelf. If this operation is carried out within a specified period and if the bar code read is compatible with the memorized multi-frequency code, the purchase is canceled (operation 42). The new total is displayed (operation 44). The need to re-read the code can be signaled to the buyer by displaying a warning message.

If the code is incorrect, which may be due to an error or a deliberate intention of fraud, an alarm is triggered. It is however preferable to leave a possibility of repeating the reading, for example by displaying a message requesting repeating, as indicated in FIG. 4.

The device making it possible to implement the sequences defined above is capable of numerous achievements.

In the case illustrated in FIG. 5, the device is entirely carried by a trolley for receiving the articles. It is in the form of a frame 10 provided with two circuits 46 and 48 for multi-frequency detection of passage at the levels RI and R2, capable of reading the multi-frequency label of an article at each of the levels and possibly detect a discrepancy. These two circuits 46 and 48 are connected to a detection logic 50 providing at its output 52 a signal, for example in digital form, indicating the 3 multi-frequency code. Another output makes it possible to send an alarm signal to the display 34. This signal can be provided to cause the indication, on the display, of the maneuver to be carried out to make the alarm disappear (for example removal of 'an article if two articles have been introduced simultaneously or successively).

The device also includes an optical reader pen 18 connected to a shaping and adaptation circuit 54 supplying a memory 56. A correspondence table 58, advantageously modifiable to allow frequent recharging and to limit the risks of fraud, writes the multi-frequency setpoint code in a random access memory 60. A comparator 62 checks the agreement between the content of the memory 60 and the information supplied by the detection logic 50. In the event of coincidence, it causes the taking into account of the article and validates the accounting information, via a memory validation and erasure circuit 64.

The invention is susceptible of numerous variant embodiments and, moreover, can be supplemented by means, the nature of which immediately appears to those skilled in the art, making it possible to provide guidance indications to the user so that he can correct them. his mistakes. It should be understood that the scope of this patent extends to such variants and modifications, as well as more generally to all others remaining within the framework of equivalences.

Claims

β CLAIMS

1.Accounting and control process for purchased items, each item (20) carrying a bar code (22) or equivalent for identification and containing a label (24) with n passive transmission circuits at a fixed frequency among N frequencies, each combination of n frequencies constituting a signature assigned to a particular bar code, characterized in that: the price of each item individually taken in turn is read and stored by reading the code with bars inscribed on the article; and, in a place obligatorily crossed by the article (20) before passing to a cash register, for example at the entrance of a receptacle (12), the n circuits that the article contains are identified, compares the signature supplied with the list of signatures previously stored, and an alarm is triggered in the event of no coincidence.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that an alarm is also triggered if an interval of time greater than a determined delay time elapses after reading the bar code without having crossed the says location.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, charac¬ terized in that one defines the location crossed by the articles by detection means (10) at the entrance of a carriage constituting said receptacle, connected to electronics grouping together barcode reading means, storage and display means, and signature reading means.

4.Accounting and control device for purchased items, each item (20) carrying a barcode (22) or equivalent for identification and containing a label (24) in passive transmission circuits at a frequency determined from among N frequencies, each combination of n frequencies constituting a signature assigned to a particular bar code, characterized in that it comprises a receptacle for articles, detection means placed at the entrance to the receptacle, linked to electronics grouping together means for reading the bar code, by means of a pen (18) to be moved in front of the bar code carried by the article or the presentation shelf, means of storage and display, means for excitation of the transmission circuits and means for comparing the signature provided by the article and for verifying the correspondence stored between signatures and bar codes, triggering an alarm in the event of of discrepancy.

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the detection means constitute multi-frequency electromagnetic curtains successively crossed by the article when it is introduced into the receptacle.

6. Device according to claim 3 or 4, ca¬ characterized in that said means are provided to also trigger an alarm in case of absence of detection within a time delay determined after reading the bar code.

7. Device according to claim 5 or 6, ca¬ characterized in that the receptacle is constituted by a carriage and in that the device constitutes an assembly (10) in the form of a lockable frame on the top of the carriage (12), by example using a lock allows the frame to be removed as soon as it leaves a cash register.

8.Dispositif according to any one of revendi¬ cations 4 to 7, characterized in that the device carries means of visual display of the price and the total comp¬ tabilisé, and alarm means. Ut

9.Device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that it comprises means which subtract from the total previously effected the price of the article withdrawn, when the barge, in a time interval determined after extraction of the article from the receptacle, rereads the barcode of the article.