DE102011009382B4 - Arrangement and method for the self-controlled detection of goods - Google Patents

Abstract

Arrangement for the self-contained detection of goods (10), comprising - at least one data carrier (14) on each article (10), - at least one mobile scanner (20), designed as a handheld device for reading data from the data carriers (14) in the vicinity, - At least one RFID transponder (11), wherein at least one of the goods (10) of the RFID transponder (11) is mounted, wherein the RFID transponder (11) - identifies the type of goods associated with him (10) and - a merchandise security function (13) has, - at least one RFID lock (30), with - a read-out device (31) for reading out data from the RFID transponder (11) and - a deactivation device (32) for deactivating the merchandise security function (13) in the RFID transponder (11), when the goods are passed through, and - an interface with the mobile scanner (20), via which data is exchanged, and - at least one cashier (40) for billing, which via a comm Unikationsschnittstelle with the mobile scanner (20) is connected, - at least one comparison unit (45), which the data, which by the RFID lock (30) from the RFID transponder (11) and the data, which by means of the mobile scanner ( 20) are omitted, supplied and subsequently compared, wherein the RFID lock (30) and the cash register (40) are arranged so that in the output direction of the arrangement first the RFID lock (30) passes and then the cash register (40) is reached.

Description

The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for self-service detection of goods.

Self-service shopping has been widely used for several decades, especially in supermarkets, drugstores, electronics stores, and often in furniture stores, clothing stores and elsewhere.

Customers find shopping in self-service to be particularly permissive, since they can divide their own time and select all goods of their own interest at their own discretion and place them in a shopping cart, for example in a shopping cart.

Shopping in relevant markets is still very attractive for customers, despite the added opportunities of shopping on the Internet or from the catalog, as you can view the goods of interest not only virtually, but practically and take in hand, moreover not must wait until these goods arrive by mail or otherwise and can be taken possession. The purchased goods can instead be taken away immediately, so that shopping remains interesting.

In this context, in the DE 10 2007 047 181 A1 a shopping consultant who assists the customer in the purchase of goods. In this case, the use of RFID technology enables a communication of the shopping consultant arranged on the shopping cart with the goods, for example, on a shelf.

In the DE 202 06 772 U1 For example, a security and / or identification tag for attachment to objects to be identified that operates using RFID technology is described.

As a problem area, the customer still sees the cash register. Here it comes to waiting times, until other customers have put the goods from their shopping trolley on a cash register and cashiers or cashiers have recorded the goods accordingly and have created the bill. This is in contrast to the free selection during the rest of the shopping process and the waiting times are also perceived as annoying.

Lately, therefore, the self-operated detection of goods using mobile scanner is tried and used. The mobile scanners are handheld devices and the so-called mobile self-scanning carried out with them makes it easier for the buyer to carry out his self-service shopping.

One of the possible procedures in this case takes place in such a way that the customer, that is to say the possible buyer, receives such a mobile scanner when he enters the shopping opportunity, for example the supermarket. If he now puts a product, ie an article intended for sale, into the shopping cart or shopping cart, the customer records it by means of the handheld device. The detection usually takes place via a barcode on a label as a data carrier as an information medium. The handset thus reads the barcode of the goods. Capture by the customer may occur before the customer picks up the goods while placing them in his shopping cart or cart, or after putting them there, as most convenient for the customer. There is no compelling temporal dependence here, but there is a causal connection.

After the customer has recorded all purchased goods in this form, the mobile scanner records all the data needed to set up an invoice. In a sense, in the course of shopping, an electronic receipt is created in the mobile scanner. However, depending on the type of implementation of a mobile self-scanning system, the electronic receipt can also be stored on a hand-held networked server instead of on the handheld device.

Before the customer leaves the self-service market, he gives the mobile scanner at the checkout to read out. The advantage over conventional procedure is that this reading is much faster and takes less time than the previous cashier. This considerably shortens the unwanted waiting time at the checkout.

The invoice amount is determined from the bond data. The cash register can be either a conventional cash register equipped with staff or a fully automatic system.

Another advantage of the mobile self-scanning system for the buyer in addition to this time advantage is that unlike in the past, he no longer has to drain his shopping cart on a cash register, which is also often perceived as a nuisance. Of course, the process of returning the goods to the shopping cart or shopping cart, which is necessary after the checkout, is also eliminated. These processes, which are perceived as work, are eliminated, which is also part of the time advantage already mentioned.

A persistent problem for the operator of the self-service market is theft or even the intentional or accidental forgetting of self-scanning when placing a Goods in the shopping cart. Even more than with conventional self-service markets, it is difficult to detect these events. In the conventional laying of the goods on a cash register tape, a customer must already take measures to transport a product unpaid past the cash register. He has to hide or cover them, for example. In the case of mobile self-scanning, on the other hand, all goods remain in the shopping cart and therefore a product that has not been scanned falls noticeably less under the other properly duly registered products and does not need to be covered separately.

From the DE 100 15 122 A1 For example, a system and method for identifying goods is known. The goods are provided with a product identifier with a machine readable label comprising electronic registration means registering in a register when the label is read out. Such a product identifier may interact with an identification system for identifying goods having corresponding means for reading the machine-readable label and means for actuating the electronic registration means of the product identifier when the label is read out. A check area is also proposed, in which it is checked whether all identifiers of the goods that are in the checking area are read out. So an additional system is used.

From the DE 20 2007 000 597 U1 a proposal is known to monitor objects by means of RFID technology. It is continuously and automatically paid attention to whether an object to be monitored leaves a respective monitoring cell.

The RFID transponders with item security function successfully used in many cases in conventional self-service markets can not be used in mobile self-scanning. Conventionally, in order to avoid theft in self-service markets, some goods are equipped with such RFID transponders with item security function. This happens hidden for the customers who therefore do not know which of the goods are equipped with such an RFID transponder and which are not.

From the US 2009/0145965 A1 a method for collecting goods in a retail store is known. Each product is provided with an RFID label. The customer brings the goods desired by him with a shopping cart in a Umladezone in which RFID scanners are provided. In this transfer zone, the customer spends the goods from the shopping cart into an adjacent, empty shopping cart, wherein the RFID scanner identifies the goods. The correctness of the goods thus identified for the checkout can be further improved by additional weighing and comparing of the weights and by other scanners and redundant RFID scanners.

A merchandise security by means of such RFID transponder caused in the trade, however, considerable costs. It should be noted that the chip with the RFID transponder is a disposable item and remains on the goods, so it can not be used again. In order to obtain a reasonable relation of costs and benefits, only very expensive goods and even those that are stolen frequently are secured by means of such RFID transponders.

Of other goods, a selection is also equipped with RFID transponders to maintain the aforementioned deterrent function, which arises from the fact that from the customer's point of view, any goods can be equipped with such an RFID transponder and thus carries the risk of being caught in a shoplifting become, if one tries to take this arbitrary commodity without payment.

As mentioned, for reasons of cost, however, not all goods can be secured in this way, so that the RFID transponders can not be used to allow fully automatic identification of all goods in the shopping cart. A complete calculation of all goods in this way is therefore unfortunately not possible. At least the merchandise security function is however given in conventional supermarkets.

If such a product is presented at the cash register of a conventional supermarket without mobile self-scanning, the cashier deactivates the article surveillance function unnoticed in the RFID transponder, hidden for the customer by a deactivator integrated in the ticket conveyor.

In the exit area of this conventional self-service market behind the checkout area is an RFID lock. This must be crossed by the customer when leaving the self-service market. As a rule, the customer does not notice this, because goods he has purchased with RFID transponders are deactivated with regard to the merchandise security function. He can therefore easily pass through the RFID lock. On the other hand, if such an RFID lock detects an RFID transponder with an active merchandise security function, it triggers an alarm because it immediately suspects an attempted theft, because obviously a merchandise security function in the checkout area has not been deactivated.

With the mobile self-scanning system, however, there are no cashiers who could deactivate an RFID transponder with a merchandise security function. There is also no cash conveyor belt that can be used to. Therefore, there is the problem of how to avoid theft in the most effective and even for the honest customer not burdening form even with mobile self-scanning without losing the benefits.

It is therefore an object of the invention to propose an arrangement and a method for the self-contained detection of goods, which offers such a theft-avoiding and the customer not incriminating possibility.

This object is achieved by an arrangement for self-service detection of goods, comprising at least one disk on each commodity, at least one mobile scanner, designed as a handheld device for reading data from the data carriers in the vicinity, at least one RFID transponder, wherein at least one the goods of the RFID transponder is mounted, wherein the RFID transponder identifies the type of goods associated with it and has a goods security function, at least one RFID lock, with a readout device for reading data from the RFID transponder and a deactivation device for deactivating the A merchandise security feature in the RFID transponder when the merchandise is passed through and an interface with the mobile scanner through which data is exchanged, and at least one billing account connected to the mobile scanner via a communication interface, at least one Comparing unit, which is the data supplied by the RFID lock from the RFID transponder and the data, which are omitted by means of the mobile scanner, and subsequently compared, wherein the RFID lock and the cash register are arranged so that in the output direction the arrangement first passes the RFID lock and then the cash register is reached.

Furthermore, the object is achieved by a method for the self-contained detection of goods that works with an arrangement of the type described above.

With this invention, a possibility is created to jointly use an RFID-based retail security system on the one hand and the elements of a mobile self-scanning on the other hand, and even to use synergistic effects in which the elements interact skillfully. The uncoordinated previous procedure, which prevented meaningful problem solving, is replaced by an integrated overall system.

For this purpose, the elements known from the prior art in another form are arranged in an unusual arrangement and also for the user unusual, but nevertheless very pleasant order.

Whereas conventionally a customer first duly pays for his goods at a cash register and then passes through a lock which checks whether all the goods have actually been paid properly or whether shoplifting is possible, the customer now first passes through an RFID lock, the first determines whether the customer has since scanned all affected goods, and then only the customer goes to checkout and paid.

If the RFID lock detects that a product equipped with an RFID transponder has not yet been scanned by the customer, it can automatically add this product to the scanned goods, depending on the embodiment. This means that the customer in question is not discovered as a shoplifter, but rather that he instead pays the goods that he (possibly accidentally) has not scanned but in his shopping cart or in the shopping cart properly at the cash register. This is of course more enjoyable for both sides. From the point of view of the trade goods are now not only when leaving the business as stolen discovered, instead treated as normal, bought and paid goods. From the point of view of the (possibly inattentive) customer, he pays the goods he wants to buy without causing unpleasant discussions with store detectives and the staff.

The RFID lock now does not have the function of detecting and alerting shoplifting; it does not put charge detectives into action, nor does it sound alarms to expose a supposed shoplifter and alert the staff. The RFID lock gets by their different arrangement and operation, a different task than in conventional self-service markets.

In another embodiment, however, instead of adding the goods detected as not scanned to the receipt, an alarm function can also be triggered so that a check by the personnel takes place.

The selection of the preferred embodiment will depend on the experience of the operator of the self-service market or also the type of goods normally sold. It is also conceivable to provide a changeover of the arrangement according to the invention between these two embodiments, for example to certain critical days to change the behavior of the inventive arrangement.

However, the arrangement according to the invention would also not make sense in conventional self-service markets since there is no mobile self-scanning, ie the RFID lock from the new inventive concept could fulfill no function in conventional self-service markets.

On the other hand, possible other approaches to solving the problem in modern markets with mobile self-scanning systems are not successful, as can be seen from a consideration when compared to the invention.

So, in principle, a possibility should be considered to equip each mobile scanner with a separate deactivator. While this approach could enable deactivating the merchandise security feature each time a merchandise is scanned, there would be gigantic acquisition and operating costs for the deactivators for each mobile scanner for each customer. These acquisition and operating costs are eliminated with the invention, since only one or at least a few deactivation devices are required according to the invention.

Any measures that result in the isolated deactivation of RFID transponders with merchandise security functions for individual goods, do not lead to a solution, because it can then come in the further process immediately false alarm, as soon as a customer with a still protected and not deactivated article but a RFID lock traverses and this is alerted. This measure would be so daunting for customers that it can not be considered for pragmatic and economic reasons.

If, on the other hand, one were to deactivate all retail security functions in the RFID transponders for users of the mobile self-scanning without differentiating them, the anti-theft functions would lose their protective function and the theft rate would increase very rapidly and this measure would become public.

If one were to try to persuade the customers to take the goods to a cash conveyor or separately through some other deactivation device, then the advantages of mobile self-scanning would be lost again, since the customers should not be burdened with them any more, to place the goods on a cash register or similar device.

Instead, according to the invention advantageously resorted to RFID transponder, which are already available for other purposes in practice and not only as before contain a merchandise security function. Namely, in the further memories, an identification of the respective goods can be made by storing an electronic article number which can be interrogated by RFID (radio frequency identification) and which can also be read out.

For the mobile scanner to be able to carry out its work, it is preferably equipped with a device for wireless data communication at close range, for example with a Bluetooth radio module. The goods are equipped with data carriers, so as before, for example, with labels that are printed with a barcode or in another form.

The RFID locks are also provided with wireless communication devices, in this case a readout device for reading out the identification-forming electronic article numbers from the RFID transponders.

In addition, these RFID locks also have as usual the article surveillance function.

In preferred embodiments, it is provided that a deactivation device is likewise integrated in the RFID lock. This has the advantage that in one and the same lock not only a commodity is recognized by the article number, but that immediately after the comparison of this item with the already detected by the mobile scanner goods, the deactivation of the merchandise security function can be done for exactly this commodity. This is time-saving, also on the number of elements required space and cost-saving and effective and also has the further advantage that the customers notice very little of this approach and are thus less affected.

In a method according to the invention can be done with the mentioned arrangements conveniently self-service detection of goods and nevertheless a reduction of the loss due to theft.

In the following an embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawing. It shows

1 a schematic representation of an arrangement according to the invention.

In the 1 one sees on the basis of a kind of block diagram the construction of an embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention and the associated functional sequence.

You can see some goods 10 Depending on the shopping center, such as a supermarket, a furniture market, a drugstore or a clothing store, the goods can be very different expensive or inexpensive items.

Some of the goods 10 are with RFID transponders 11 Mistake. It is not absolutely necessary to provide all goods with RFID transponders in the invention. This reduces the costs. In addition, there are also goods that are to be provided only problematic with such RFID transponders or due to their nature as a low-cost mass-produced article not allow the attachment of an RFID transponder economically.

Customers usually do not know which goods 10 with RFID transponders 11 are provided.

Every RFID transponder 11 is with a merchandise security feature 12 equipped. This merchandise security function is at least after its attachment to the goods 10 Activated in the shopping center, but can be deactivated.

In addition to this merchandise security function 12 each transponder has 11 still a small data storage 13 , in which, for example, an article number of those goods is stored, the transponder 11 is assigned or at which the transponder is located. If the goods are, for example, a piece of clothing or a cosmetic article, this article number identifies this article of clothing or this cosmetic article.

Everyone was 10 with or without RFID transponder 11 are also with a disk 14 provided, for example, with a label that is printed with a barcode.

The different goods 10 with data carrier 14 and with and without RFID transponder 11 be from the customer into a shopping cart 15 placed, for example, a shopping cart.

With the laying of the goods 10 in the cart 15 Usually the customer decides to buy the corresponding goods 10 , He documents this by using a mobile scanner 20 according to the goods 10 scans. For example, he can with the mobile scanner 20 a barcode on the disk 14 on the outside of the goods 10 to scan; the scanner 20 thus captures the barcode and saves it or converts the barcode information into other data.

Of course it is also possible to get some other information through the mobile scanner 20 read the customer, for example, a disk 14 in the form of an electronic element or another form on the goods 10 located data source. Here, a manual input of the data or even a photographic input of the data, for example, for the detection of two-dimensional barcodes or for use by means of a machine image recognition conceivable.

The customer can use his shopping cart 15 Any goods in the supermarket or other shopping center 10 with or without RFID transponder 11 purchase, each with his mobile scanner 20 scan and that in the scanner 20 or add a saved receipt to a networked computer.

The with the mobile scanner 20 The collected data is sent to the cash register via a communication link 40 given. This communication connection can have any desired form of data connection, for example via a line, that is, wire-based, or even wireless.

The communication link does not have to exist permanently and virtually every purchase of the customer the cashier 40 But this can only be done when the customer of the cash register 40 approaching or at a suitable other time. The communication connection can also be set up several times, if this makes sense, to a corresponding receipt at the cashier 40 in several steps or continuously and update. Also conceivable are so-called connectionless protocols, with which information is exchanged without first establishing a connection and subsequently dismantling it. These so-called "connectionless protocols" from networking technology can also be covered here by the term communication link.

After the purchase of all needed goods 10 the customer goes to a cash register near a cash register 40 located RFID lock 30 , This RFID lock 30 is with a readout device 31 equipped for the information contained in the RFID transponders 11 are stored. By means of this device 31 become all existing RFID transponders 11 through the RFID lock 30 read out, so that the RFID lock 30 all article numbers of goods 10 detected at which RFID transponder 11 are attached and which by the RFID lock 30 within a shopping cart 15 be passed.

In this way, the RFID lock identifies 30 these goods 10 and sends the information to the currently in the near range mobile scanner 20 of the buyer or, if applicable, to one with this mobile scanner 20 networked computer on which the customer's receipt is stored.

Other software available on the mobile scanner 20 or the computer networked with it, now compares in a comparator 45 , whether that of the readout device 31 the RFID lock 30 identified goods 10 Also included in this stored electronic receipt.

Various alternative options are conceivable to carry out or support this step. So can an RFID lock 30 which are passed through, with an RFID transponder 11 provided goods 10 recognizes, but only on the basis of this information, the corresponding goods 10 can not yet assign a specific ticket. However, this assignment is desired to be as described in the Vergleichseinrichung 45 or, where appropriate, in another form, the intended comparison between the recorded in self-scanning Bon and the RFID lock 30 read goods with RFID transponder 11 to be able to make.

The assignment can be done, for example, that the mobile scanner 20 via a short-range radio, for example via Bluetooth, with the RFID lock 30 connected is. If the connection between RFID lock 30 and scanners 20 the scanner is located accordingly 20 also close to the RFID lock 30 , From this the assumption can be deduced that the over the RFID lock 30 read article or goods 30 with the receipt of the scanner 20 correspond.

If you want to get a higher process reliability compared to this method and also ensure that no wrong assignment occurs when there are multiple scanners 20 for example, several customers simultaneously in the reception area of an RFID lock 30 an alternative method can be used.

You could also use the scanner 20 with an RFID transponder 11 Mistake. Then also the scanner 20 even from the RFID lock 30 be identified. The RFID lock 30 then reads the RFID transponder 11 of the scanner 20 together with the RFID transponders 11 of the goods 10 , From this it can be concluded automatically that the read articles or goods 10 with the receipt of this thus identified mobile scanner 20 correspond.

This second method has the advantage over the first method in addition to the higher process reliability, not to require short-range radio.

In all alternative methods is when the identified goods 10 Also included in the stored electronic Bonn, thus clarifying that those goods 10 in which are RFID transponders 11 which are from the RFID lock 30 are also recorded previously by the customer properly by means of the mobile scanner 20 have been recorded.

If this is the case, then a deactivation device 32 the RFID lock 30 the merchandise security function 12 of the RFID transponder 11 deactivate.

In contrast, at least one of the RFID lock 30 If the identified item is not contained in the saved receipt, then there is basically an alarm situation. In this case, in a first embodiment of the invention, a corresponding alarm signal to the cash register 40 and / or the staff of the supermarket.

In the event of an alarm situation, the merchandise security function is deactivated 13 of the affected transponder 11 not expediently in this embodiment of the invention. This facilitates later checks, whether actually only one commodity 10 or even several goods 10 not properly from the mobile scanner 20 scanned by the customer.

In a second embodiment of the invention, it is provided that no alarm situation is assumed here, but instead that the information about this identified and not yet contained in the stored Bon article is added to the stored Bon. This can be done directly on the mobile scanner 20 done, or as an automatic signal to the cashier 40 In particular, this automatically adds this article to the rest of the list.

In this way, the "error" of the customer can inconspicuously be compensated, while still those articles or goods 10 paid, which is in his shopping cart 15 are located.

An essential advantage of the inventive idea is that the results of the identification of the goods in question 10 through the RFID lock 30 be matched directly with the stored electronic receipt. The assignment to a specific mobile scanner 20 is solely due to the physical proximity of the mobile scanner 20 to the RFID lock 30 very easy at this moment.

A networking of the RFID lock 30 is not even necessary. Also a networking of mobile scanners 20 with a background system is possible, but not required. The receipt of the scanned goods 10 In the simplest case, this can happen on the mobile scanner 20 yourself.

It finds it advantageously when crossing the RFID lock 30 through the shopping cart 15 a direct communication between the mobile scanner 20 and the RFID lock 30 instead of. It can be provided that the hand-held mobile scanner 20 at the cart 15 arranged or in the cart 15 is put into it.

It is also possible for the customer to use the mobile scanner 20 when crossing the RFID lock 30 leads, if the customer even this correspondingly large executed lock 30 crosses.

In this case you will get the RFID lock 30 spatially in front of the cash register 40 Arrange. The customer can then use the mobile scanner 20 at the checkout 40 if he pays the bill. This is a procedure that is particularly simple for the overall process of the shopping process and makes sense to the customer.

In this process sequence described, initially RFID lock 30 , then checkout 40 However, it can alone from the fact that an article of the cart 15 is not yet in the stored Bon, still no fraud attempt to be derived. Basically, the customer could yes after passing through the RFID lock 30 and the subsequent payment process, the hitherto not scanned goods 10 in principle still nacherfassen. Nevertheless, then the actual alarm can still be at the cash register 40 to be triggered.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Were

11

RFID transponder

12

Merchandise security function

13

Data memory on the transponder 11

14

Data carrier, for example label

15

shopping cart

20

scanner

30

RFID Lock

31

reading device

32

deactivation unit

40

cashbox

45

comparator

Claims (8)

Arrangement for the self-recorded collection of goods ( 10 ), comprising - at least one data carrier ( 14 ) on each product ( 10 ), - at least one mobile scanner ( 20 ), designed as a handheld device for reading data from the data carriers ( 14 ) in the vicinity, - at least one RFID transponder ( 11 ), whereby at least one of the goods ( 10 ) the RFID transponder ( 11 ), wherein the RFID transponder ( 11 ) - the type of goods assigned to it ( 10 ) and - a merchandise security function ( 13 ), - at least one RFID lock ( 30 ), with - a readout device ( 31 ) for reading out data from the RFID transponder ( 11 ) and - a deactivation device ( 32 ) for deactivating the merchandise security function ( 13 ) in the RFID transponder ( 11 ), when the goods are passed through, and - an interface with the mobile scanner ( 20 ), over which data are exchanged, and - at least one cash register ( 40 ) for billing, which via a communication interface with the mobile scanner ( 20 ), - at least one comparison unit ( 45 ), which stores the data passing through the RFID lock ( 30 ) from the RFID transponder ( 11 ) and the data obtained by means of the mobile scanner ( 20 ) are omitted, supplied and subsequently compared with the RFID lock ( 30 ) and the cash register ( 40 ) are arranged so that in the output direction of the arrangement first the RFID lock ( 30 ) happens and then the cash register ( 40 ) is achieved. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the comparison unit ( 45 ) issues an alarm message when differences between the supplied information are detected, but when a non-existing difference is detected, the deactivation device ( 32 ). Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the comparison unit ( 45 ) in the determination of differences between the supplied information only from the RFID lock ( 30 ) goods recognized ( 10 ) the scanned goods ( 10 ) adds. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Comparison unit ( 45 ) in the mobile scanner ( 20 ) and / or in the RFID lock ( 30 ) is integrated. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile scanner ( 20 ) is equipped with another RFID transponder, so that through the RFID lock ( 30 ) an identification and distinction of the scanner ( 20 ) from other scanners ( 20 ) with the respectively associated goods ( 10 ) is possible. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mobile scanner ( 20 ) collected data via a wired or wireless communication link to the cash register ( 40 ) are given. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a communication connection when passing through the RFID lock ( 30 ) between the mobile scanner ( 20 ) and the RFID lock ( 30 ) is constructed. Method for the self-recorded collection of goods ( 10 ) by means of an arrangement according to one of the preceding claims.

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