CH684445A5 - Automatic mixed-product weighing-test till point for loads on shopping trolleys in fully self-service markets - Google Patents

Abstract

All shopping trolleys (E) in self-service market centres are accompanied by electronics for the continuous video-screen display of the price total reached for the product assortment located in the product space of the shopping trolley. The customer, when loading each purchased article, guides it with the product-code side over an optoelectronic product-code viewing aperture or strikes over the product code by means of an optoelectronic light pen. By means of the identified product code, the electronics calculates the price total obtained and the desired gross weight of the product assortment. During passage through the fully automatic weighing-test payment zone (IP), the desired gross weight should correspond to the actual weight of the product-filled shopping trolley, minus the empty-trolley weight. If positive, payment of the displayed price total is accepted. The weighing-test payment zone (IP) opens. The customer can wheel the merchandise in the shopping trolley to his private vehicle. <IMAGE>

Description

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description

The mechanically electronic general goods weighing test caser, which forms the content of this invention, allows the buyer to take possession of the entire range of goods against payment of the total price without the intervention of intermediaries.

The main advantages of this automated teller machine and its accompanying equipment are as follows:

a The completed assortment of goods is cashed in as a whole without the necessity of a parade of individual goods and without having to be reloaded by the customer.

b Saving time in terms of payment processing.

c Reduced sales personnel d Incorrect registration of prices and product categories caused by human error are excluded.

f Gaining space by eliminating the manual checkout facilities g Invoice receipt with product descriptions for the customer h Shopping facilities for credit card customers even outside the opening times of a market center.

The technical mode of operation of the mechanically electronic general goods weighing test cashier machine is shown below using 4 different solutions. The two factors play a role in each of the solutions, namely

1.) Goods price

2.) Goods item gross weight the main role. The tasks of the automated teller machine are accordingly the checking of total goods price and total goods assortment weight.

The indispensable elements of the automated teller machine are therefore:

1.) Scanner sensor for goods code identification

2.) Level or hanging scales for weighing the total goods

3.) Computer with printer

4.) Payment acceptance for cash or account cards

5.) Exit barrier to release the goods

The overview of the elements that enable the fully automatic collection process is depicted with the help of drawing figure 01.

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Explanation of the short names:

MZ

Market center

IP

Weighing test collection zone

AE

Outside surface

TB

= Test block

IB

= Debt collection block

RB

Registration block

E

Shopping venture

OE

= Goods room of the shopping cart

F

Viewing window

O

Unit price

T

Total price

Ai

customer

A2

Buyer

Si

= Entrance till barrier

S2 =

Exit checkout barrier

W

Level scales

PE

= Empty weight of the shopping cart

PB

Target gross goods weight

PT

Target weight of the product range

PW

= Test weight of the shopping cart loaded with goods

UA

= Electronic operations unit

The shopping cart E with a built-in or mobile optoelectronic goods code decoder can also be equipped with an electronic computer with a numerical display and a radio transmitter.

The electronic level scale W is used to weigh the shopping cart E loaded with goods.

The electronic operation unit UA is divided into collection block IB, test block TB and registration block RB, wherein the registration block RB can be in radio communication with the radio transmitter on the shopping cart E.

The entrance and exit checkout barriers Si and S2 for the passage of the shopping cart E laden with goods are electronically directed by the automated teller machine.

First solution for the handling of the purchase process of a customer Ai:

Creation of the product range

The customer Ai takes the purchase object O from the goods display. He optoelectronically registers the goods code depicted on it by moving the latter past the viewing window F or by swiping it with a reading pen. Then he loads the sighted object O into the goods area OE of the shopping cart E.

The unit price of the goods appears within the area O of the electronic number plate, the total price achieved within the area T. The gross goods weight PB and the total gross weight PT achieved are not displayed to the customer, but saved by the electronic computer. The individual unit prices are saved according to the product categories.

After the assortment of goods has been completed, the customer Ai rolls the shopping cart E in front of the cash barrier Si.

When the level scales W become free, the checkout barrier Si opens while the checkout barrier S2 closes.

The customer Ai passes the checkout barrier Si and rolls the shopping cart E onto the level scale W. When the shopping cart has come to a standstill, the electronic test weighing takes place.

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Weighing test

In the case of a positive weighing test, that is, if the gross weight PB stored by the shopping cart calculator matches the test weight PW minus the empty weight of the shopping cart PE, that is

PB = PW - PE

the buyer A2 is asked by a light signal on the test block TB located on the side of the collection passage to pay the total price T. The buyer goes to the debt collection block IB and pays the amount T, repeated there, by means of automatic cash payment or by credit card. He then accepts the payment receipt.

If the Wieg test is negative, an acoustic signal sounds. The buyer A2 must withdraw the tested shopping cart E from the collection passage IP to the market center MZ and investigate the reason for the refusal.

Registration of goods category sales for business accounting.

Immediately after the positive weighing test, the stored goods category sums are transmitted to the registration block RB.

Approval of the goods assortment

After the receipt is issued at the collection block IB, the checkout barrier S2 opens, while the checkout barrier Si closes.

The assortment of goods has become the property of buyer A2. The latter rolls the goods-filled shopping cart E out of the Wieg-Test-Einasso-Passage IP onto the outer surface AF.

Second solution for handling the purchase process of a customer A1:

When entering the outer area AE of the MZ market center, the customer uses an empty shopping cart. He unloads his personal effects, such as a bag and items of clothing, into the empty OE of the shopping cart and, if necessary, places a small child in the child seat.

In order to initiate tare weighing, the customer inserts his credit account card into the opening provided on the tare machine. The number x of his rented shopping cart, which is clearly visible on the shopping cart, is then photoelectrically read and registered by the Wieg machine. After the electronic program has been processed, the tare input barrier TSi opens, while the tare output barrier TS2 closes. The customer can now push the tare-weighted PE shopping trolley onto the tare level or tare hanging scale. After tare weighing has taken place, the tare input barrier TS1 located in front of the balance closes while the tare output barrier TS2 located behind the balance opens. The customer can thus push the tare-weighted shopping trolley PE into the MZ market center and follow it there himself.

Within the market center, he expects the automatic delivery of the specially prepared shopping registration cassette with a contact-linked scanner sensor. A shoulder strap for carrying the cassette is available to every customer. The following are already registered on this prepared cassette:

1.) Date of the purchase day

2.) Name, first name and address of the customer

3.) Number of the customer credit account

4.) Number of the rented shopping cart

5.) Weight of the tare-weighted shopping cart PE

6.) Debit the customer's credit account in the amount of the rental price, for example CHF 2.- for the shopping cart

If the respective goods-price addition T of his assembled goods assortment is to be made visible to the customer Ai, the shopping registration cassette would have to be combined with an electronic computer plus numerical exposure.

In order to transfer the price of the goods to the electronic computer, the price of goods O had to be displayed on each sales item in an optoelectronically readable code next to the code of goods.

The customer's task is to cross the goods code including the attached goods price O of each purchase item with the scanner sensor.

After completing his assortment of goods, the customer Ai pushes the shopping trolley PW, weighted with goods and taras, onto the level scales W of the Wieg-Test-Debasso-Passage IP. He takes the combined customer scanner device out of the shoulder strap and introduces the same into the electronic operation unit UA. The latter decrypts the goods codes registered by the cassette and, if applicable, adopts the total price T displayed on the electronic numerical display.

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The level scale W can also be replaced by a hanging scale W '.

If the weighing test is positive, the total price T is debited to the customer's credit account. The buyer A2 receives a list of the goods and prices, automatically printed on paper, with a receipt.

By registering the names of all buyers, the risk of uncovering the author of intentional article manipulation increases considerably.

Third-party solution for handling a customer's purchase process Ai:

As a starting point, the purchasing process is assumed to be that of the second solution. In contrast to this, all, or only special, merchandise objects are provided with directly printed, metallized merchandise codes. The printing ink solution used for printing must contain a metal compound, such as soft iron. The metal connection, printed in the form of a certain code of goods, must have the physical ability to impair the intensity of an adapted electromagnetic force field. The total mass of the printed goods code must correspond to the minimum gain of magnetic permeability which is sufficient to trigger the alarm signal of an electromagnetic detector passage.

The items mentioned as “special goods” are particularly expensive items, spirits such as whiskey, or items of the same gross weight and quality-staggered prices such as coffee or rice.

All goods codes, both those made from ordinary as well as those made from printing ink containing metal compounds, are registered by customer Ai using a scanner sensor, using the second solution system. However, according to the third-party solution, the registration process is immediately followed by a printing substance removal process. This can consist, for example, of sanding the printing surface. In addition, the printing area is then sprayed with a color solution, which may be colored red. With the help of eye-catching color markings, the customer can easily check whether he has registered all goods. After completing his assortment of goods, the customer goes to the collection passage.

In the case of the third-party solution, there is an electromagnetic detector passage in front of the Wieg test collection passage. If the shopping cart contains a product that is not exempt from the metallized code printed on the goods, the customer will be informed by an alarm signal, such as the lighting up of a red lamp with the inscription "Unregistered product", that the item has not been opened Cashier barrier Si informs. Thanks to the red coloring of the goods code areas, the customer can quickly determine where the color-spot-free goods object is and make up for his omission.

In the assumed case, where the goods objects would be provided with metallized goods codes as a whole, the weighing test passage could possibly be omitted entirely. The checkout barrier S2 would thus take the place of the checkout barrier S1. On the other hand, the weighing test and the magnetic detector control could take place simultaneously, while maintaining the checkout barriers Si and S2.

If the customer wanted to go back to the MZ market center again after completing the collection process, he could easily start the shopping process again according to the third-party solution, because the goods already in the shopping cart, freed from the metal compound coating, would fall into the tare weight.

After leaving the market center and unloading the shopping cart, the customer rolls the latter to the shopping cart depot. The empty car return machine is located at its entrance. This reads the number of the shopping cart x photoelectrically. After the reading has been taken, an acoustic signal prompts the customer to insert the top of his till into the slot provided in the machine. If the number x of the shopping cart specified on the cash register statement matches the actual number x of the shopping cart, the customer receives a coin from the machine in the amount of the charged shopping cart rental price. The number of the shopping cart on the cash register statement is invalidated. Each checkout entitles to a one-time refund. However, several invoices issued on the same shopping cart can be inserted into the empty car return machine one after the other.

Claims (3)

Claims 1. Mechanically electronic general goods weighing test cashier machine with barrier devices consisting of an entrance and an exit checkout barrier, with a weighing test collection zone and with an electronic operation unit, which a test, a collection and has a registration block for fully automatic checkout of goods-laden shopping carts from general stores, the target weight of the goods, provided with the appropriate goods code, being compared with its reel weight, the checkout weighing test being positive or negative, and Payment by the buyer is only accepted after a positive weighing test, characterized in that each shopping cart or user of a shopping cart is equipped with a goods code scanner sensor plus an optoelectronic device for the goods code decryption, with an electronic one Calculator and number display to announce the last face tied goods single price and the achieved goods price total, as well as with a radio transmitter and / or a shopping registration cassette. 5 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 CH 684 445 A5 2. Mechanically electronic general goods weighing test cashier machine with barrier devices consisting of an entrance and an exit checkout barrier, with a weighing test collection zone and with an electronic operation unit, which is a test, a collection and has a registration block according to claim 1, characterized in that the goods code is registered only on the shopping registration cassette, that only the goods price and weight code is decrypted and on the electronic computer with numerical display for the customer It is transmitted in such a way that after the completion of its range of goods, the customer not only introduces his customer credit card but also the electronic customer device into the electronic operation unit in the weighing test collection zone for the purpose of evaluating the data. 3. Mechanically electronic general goods weighing test cashier machine with barrier devices consisting of an entrance and an exit checkout barrier, with a weighing test collection zone and with an electronic operation unit, which a test, a collection and has a registration block according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in addition to the usual goods code printing substance or exclusively, a printing substance containing soft iron is used with the aim of the weighing test collection zone with a magnet -To add a detector in such a way that the triple operation, consisting of magnetic coating removal or demagnetization, goods code registration and printing surface inking, prevents an unregistered passage of a goods article through the weighing test collection zone . 6