WO2000026875A1

WO2000026875A1 - System for automatically registering purchased products particularly in supermarket and hypermarket

Info

Publication number: WO2000026875A1
Application number: PCT/IT1999/000347
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franco Ceriati; Federico Ceriati; Luigi Amore; Enrico Maiozzi
Original assignee: Franco Ceriati; Federico Ceriati; Luigi Amore; Enrico Maiozzi
Priority date: 1998-11-02
Filing date: 1999-10-29
Publication date: 2000-05-11
Also published as: AU1076200A; IT1316721B1; ITLT980014A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket, comprising at least an automatic cash desk, at least an operator aided cash desk, at least a trolley and an informatic network to integrate said components, said at least one automatic desk providing means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products and an alphanumeric keyboard for interaction by the user; said at least one operator aided cash desk providing a computer to display the operations carried out, means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products; said at least one trolley providing recognising means, said informatic network providing a low voltage power line, a microcontroller and supply means.

Description

SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGISTERING PURCHASED PRODUCTS PARTICULARLY IN SUPERMARKET AND HYPERMARKET

The present invention relates to a system for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket.

More particularly, the invention concerns a system of the above kind, which allows to avoid the creation of queues at the supermarket and hypermarket cash desks. The system according to the invention to automatic counting the purchased products, is essentially based on an informatic system providing a variable number of automatic cash desks, suitably placed within the shop and one or more operator handled cash desks to pay the purchased products. The solution suggested according to the present invention allows to the client to register the products while he purchases the same, without making any queue, having at the same time the opportunity of keeping under control the total amount to be paid.

Furthermore, the system according to the invention is also pro- vided with systems to verify the goods purchased and with interfacings with anti-theft systems.

The system suggested according to the invention is able to satisfy the needing of the supermarkets and hypermarkets, without any surface constraint. Furthermore, the solution suggested according to the invention is a modular solution, so that the system can be configured and installed with the premises step by step, without causing inconveniences to the usual flow of the clients in an already operating shop.

The system according to the invention has been studied to work according a continuous cycle, with a base software structured in such a way to be conformable to the specifics of the products of the particular supermarket, and structured and accessible at many levels, protected by a password.

Moreover, the system according to the invention is provided with diagnostic circuits simplifying the individuation of failures, without any maintenance, but the ordinary one, and not requiring a particular capability for its proper use, so that it can be used by generic and not skilled personnel. By the system according to the invention, all the data relevant to the registered products are made available to be transferred in a company network.

Further, according to the invention, the system can be powered with 110 V or 220 V, to be compatible with the European or American standard, and has such features not to soil and pollute.

It is therefore specific object of the present invention a system for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket, comprising at least an automatic cash desk, at least an operator aided cash desk, at least a trolley and an informatic network to integrate said components, said at least one automatic desk providing means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products and an alphanumeric keyboard for interaction by the user; said at least one operator aided cash desk providing a computer to display the operations carried out, means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products; said at least one trolley providing recognition means, said informatic network providing a low voltage power line, a microcontroller and supply means.

Preferably, according to the invention said at least one automatic cash desk further provides a liquid crystal display and a operation currency selector.

Always according to the invention, said means to recognise the trolley and said means to register the products both of said automatic cash desk and of at least one operator aided cash desk are comprised of laser readers. Still according to the invention, said at least one operator aided cash desk can provide a position to check the corresponding of the weight of the purchased products with the registered products.

Preferably, according to the invention, said at least one operator aided cash desk provides an interface for anti-theft systems and/or a intelligent label reader.

Particularly, said anti-theft systems can be comprised of a magnetic control, telecameras closed circuit, etc.

Always according to the invention, said at least one trolley can provide a compartment or tank to put in the already registered products. The system according to the invention will preferably provide a plurality of automatic cash desks, of operator aided cash desks and of trolleys. The present invention will be now described, for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, with particular reference to the figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein: figure 1 is a block diagram of the informatic network of an em- bodiment of the system according to the invention; figure 2 schematically shows an automatic cash desk of a system according to the invention; and figure 3 schematically shows some automatic desks and the operator aided cash desks of a system according to the invention. Substantially, the system according to the invention for automatic counting comprises an informatic network, one or more automatic cash desks, one or more operator aided cash desks, the trolleys, and one interface for anti-theft systems.

Referring first to figure 1 of the enclosed drawings, it is shown a block diagram representing a possible realisation of the informatic network.

Preferably, to design the informatic network a modular solution is chosen, in such a way to make it easy to realise and to configure the system, and very flexible in case of modifications or enlargements. It is comprised of a low voltage supply line, a microcontroller 2 and a cable.

All the information concerning the products being purchased by the client is passed along the informatic network.

Furthermore, the automatic cash desks where the client goes to register and count the products purchased are connected to the informatic network. They are fixed sites suitably distributed within the supermarket.

One of the main aspects taken into account during the designing of this system has been the realisation of a very reliable, but easily usable, automatic cash desk 1 in such a way to be usable also by the old people not familiar with too much complicated systems; to this end, all the portable systems which engage the hands and require a control of the object have been avoided.

The solution which is deemed to better satisfy these needing provides the use of many fixed sites, distributed within the supermarket, where the client can go without being obliged to follow a determined path.

The fixed site or automatic cash desk 1 , automatically carries out different fundamental function to facilitate the client. It provides a laser reader 3 to recognise the trolley; a laser reader 4 to register the purchased products; a liquid crystal display 5 to see the initial amount in the local currency, in the chosen currency, the cost of the product and the total amount; an alphanumeric keyboard 6 to chose the wished operation. The operations allowed by a single automatic cash desk are five, namely purchasing, renouncing, reversing, number of products and assistance call.

Each automatic cash desk 1 is coupled with checks and the information relevant to the specific client. Particularly, checks and information taken into consideration in the automatic cash desk 1 are the recognition of the trolley 7, which is automatically executed reading the identification code of the trolley, by a dedicated transponder; registration of the purchased products, operation which is executed reading the identification code of the single product by a dedicated laser reader 4; indication of the initial amount, obtained associating the trolley code with the total amount of the products purchased until that moment, in the currency of the Country (when registering for the first time, the Client can check that residual amount of the preceding client which used the trolley 7 are not present); currency selection (the Client can choose in any moment), so that the total amount of the purchased products until that moment is visualised, converted in the currency chosen by the user when making the first registration; indication of the cost of the specific product, which is given reading the label with bar code on the product (registration of the examined product occurs only after a confirma- tion of the client by a suitable button); reversing of the specific product, that can be carried out in any of the automatic cash desks 1 , but only for the pre-packaged products and only in case the product has been previously registered (this operation is available by a dedicated button provided in an interactive console). Coming now to describe operator aided cash desk 8, it is the final point where the client goes to pay before exiting from the supermarket. It allows a very fast and easy payment operation; in fact, all the traditional handling operations of the goods from the trolley 7 to the cash desk, from the cash desk to the shopping bags, necessary to book the purchased goods, are no more necessary since counting of the goods and their putting within the bags is made when the goods are registered with the automatic cash desk 1. Also the final amount to be paid is already known to the client since it has been already shown at the automatic 1 during the registration of the last product. In this way, it is avoided the search of the necessary coins or banknotes at the very last minute. Cash desk 8 also has a very important monitoring and checking function of the goods purchased.

To obtain this result, it is provided with a personal computer able to display the list of the registered products, the total cost of the goods, countervalue of the chosen currency, change due, re- establishment levels; a transponder to check and eventually registration of products purchased at the very last moment; a site to check the correspondence of the weight of the purchased products with the registered products; an interface for anti-theft systems; predisposition for an "intelligent labels" reader to check if products having the same weight but a different value are present within the trolley.

All the above operations are very clear to the client who, when terminated the purchases and known the amount to be paid, goes to cash desk 8.

In this site check and information relevant to the specific client and to the registered products are automatically matched.

Checks and information taken into consideration at cash desk 8 are:

- identification of the trolley 7: it is carried out reading by a transponder, the label bearing bar code provided on the same trolley;

- indication of the list of the registered products: it is obtained summing all the products registered in the single automatic cash desks 1 , deducing those reversed;

- list of the single prices and of the total amount: it is obtained associating the relevant price to each product;

- total weight of the purchased goods: it is obtained summing all the single weights of the purchased products;

- total amount in the currency chosen by the client; it is obtained converting the price of the single products from the currency of the original country, to the current value chosen by the client; amount paid and change due: cash desk operator digits on the computer the total amount paid by the client and, automatically on the display the change in the currency of the user country due is displayed;

- check of the weight of the products within the trolley: products within the trolley are automatically weighted and the re- suiting weight is informatically compared with the total of the registered products. This control has different positive results, since it defends the manager against excess of goods taken with respect to the goods registered by the client, and defends the client with respect to possible differences of the purchased products. Furthermore, in this way, the manager has the information of the amount of goods in weight sold, being it possible to make precise previsions of selling and ordering again;

- Re-establishment level of the purchased: when verifying the sold goods, system provides to update the re-establishment levels for each product. To do this, it uses a dedicated data base wherein the manager introduces the minimum re- establishment value for each single product;

- Inventory misalignment check: this check allows to have an immediate and real feedback of possible inventory misalignment between the goods really sold and lacking goods. After this further control, it will be possible to make aimed intervention to individuate the reasons and the solutions to be introduced. As to the trolley 7, to limit the investment costs of the whole system, it will preferably be used the same trolley 7 normally used with the supermarket, adding a label bearing an identification code for the same trolley, and a further tank to separate the products to be registered with respect to those already registered. System according to the invention further provides an interface for anti-theft systems, which during the realisation of the system received a particular attention, safety problem being very important.

As anti-theft system, a magnetic control, which is one of the most used anti-theft systems, can be adopted: it verifies the presence of labelled products hidden by the thief within dresses, bags or personal belongings. Furthermore, closed circuit telecameras can be adopted, comprising the most used system to remotely visually monitor hidden selling areas or areas particularly interesting for thieves.

Furthermore, "intelligent labels" can be provided, i.e. a infallible, new system to check goods having a high commercial value, but a weight equal to that of other low cost products.

Other systems that can be interfaced with the system according to the invention can be adopted thanks to its high flexibility.

The present invention has been described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that modifications and/or changes can be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the relevant scope as defined in the enclosed claims.

Claims

1. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket, characterised in that it comprises at least an automatic cash desk, at least an operator aided cash desk, at least a trolley and an informatic network to integrate said components, said at least one automatic desk providing means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products and an alphanumeric keyboard for interaction by the user; said at least one operator aided cash desk providing a computer to display the operations carried out, means to recognise the trolley, means to register the products; said at least one trolley providing recognising means, said informatic network providing a low voltage power line, a microcontroller and supply means.

2. System for automatic counting purchased products, particu- larly in supermarket and hypermarket according to claim 1 , characterised in that said at least one automatic cash desk further provides a liquid crystal display and a operation currency selector.

3. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said means to recognise the trolley and said means to register the products both of said automatic cash desk and of at least one operator aided cash desk are comprised of laser readers.

4. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one operator aided cash desk provides a position to check the corresponding of the weight of the purchased products with the registered products.

5. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one operator aided cash desk provides an interface for anti-theft systems and/or a intelligent label reader.

6. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said anti-theft systems is comprised of a magnetic control, telecameras closed circuit, etc.

7. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said at least one trolley provides a compartment or tank to put in the already registered products.

8. System for automatic counting purchased products, particularly in supermarket and hypermarket according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that provides a plurality of automatic cash desks, of operator aided cash desks and of trolleys.