EP0237000A2

EP0237000A2 - A check-out installation

Info

Publication number: EP0237000A2
Application number: EP87103297A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sven Riis-Klausen
Original assignee: Kosan Oscarmatic AS
Current assignee: Kosan Oscarmatic AS
Priority date: 1986-03-14
Filing date: 1987-03-07
Publication date: 1987-09-16
Also published as: NO871063L; EP0237000A3; DK121086D0; DK121086A; FI871114A; FI871114A0; NO871063D0

Abstract

A check-out installation comprises a receiving conveyor band (1) followed by an intermediate table (2) where a cashier enters the price of the articles in a cash register, as well as a delivery conveyor band (6) situated after the intermediate table and including driving means (12). The receiving conveyor band (1) transfer the articles of a customer to the intermediate table (2) whereas the delivery conveyor band (6) removes the articles listed in the cash register and allows the customer to collect his articles. Coaxially to the delivery conveyor band (6) a piling conveyor band (3) is mounted between the intermediate table (2) and said delivery conveyor, said piling conveyor band transferring the articles listed in the cash register from the intermediate table (2) to the delivery conveyor (6). The piling conveyor band (3) is of a width (b _o) being greater than or equal to the width (b _a) of the delivery conveyor band (1). At least the driving means (12) of the delivery conveyor band (6) is associated with a control circuit (14) including control means (15). This control means starts either manually or automatically the driving means (12) when some of or all the articles (10ª-10g) of a customer have piled up at the delivery end (3ª) of the piling conveyor band (3) and have been displaced transverse to the longitudinal axis (8) of this conveyor band. The control means are further adapted to stop the driving means (12) when all the articles of a customer have been transferred to the delivery conveyor band (6). In this manner a check-out installation is obtained which is less space-requiring than the known installations and which allows the articles of a customer to be piled up on the delivery conveyor band in such a manner that the articles appear in lumps thereon and in such a manner that the customer need only reach out rather short for transferring his articles from the delivery conveyor band to his shopping cart or bag.

Description

The invention relates to a check-out installation comprising a receiving conveyor band followed by an intermediate table where the cashier enters the price of the articles in the cash register, as well as a delivery conveyor band situated after the intermediate table and comprising driving means, said receiving conveyor band transferring the articles of a customer to the intermediate table, whereas the delivery conveyor band advances the articles registered by the cashier to the customer so as to allow him to collect said articles, the intermediate table optionally being placed at the end of the receiving conveyor band.
German patent specification No. 2,815,055 discloses a check-out installation for self-service stores. This installation comprises receiving conveyor band followed by a cash register manually operated by a cashier entering the price of the articles in the cash register, as well as a delivery conveyor band situated after the cash register and transferring the articles from the cash register table to one of three delivery sections. In order to transfer the articles to the first, second or third section allowing each customer to collect his articles of merchandise from his separate section, a roller path is mounted transverse to the advancing direction of the delivery conveyor band between the delivery end of the delivery conveyor band and the opening of the delivery sections. The rollers of the roller band can turn either to one or the other side in response to the desired direction of the articles. This known check-out installation is, however, not quite satisfactory partly because of the space-requiring sections and partly because of the articles listed in the cash register cannot be collected in suitable portions, i.e. "lumps", on the delivery conveyor band or a transverse roller band while the latter is running. The latter is inter alia due to the fact that the articles at the end of the delivery conveyor band continue immediately onto the transverse conveyor band instead of forming "lumps" of articles.
The object of the present invention is to provide a check-out installation of the above type which involves less space compared to the known check-out installation and which allows a piling of articles on the delivery conveyor band into "lumps" of articles, whereby the customer need not reach out very far when he wishes to place the articles in his shopping cart or bag.
The check-out installation according to the invention is characterised in that a piling conveyor band is mounted coaxially to the delivery conveyor band between the intermediate table and said delivery conveyor band, said piling conveyor band transferring the articles listed by the cashier in the cash register from the intermediate table to the delivery conveyor band, and that the piling conveyor band is of a width being greater than or equal to the width of the delivery conveyor band, and that at least the driving means of the delivery conveyor band are associated with a control circuit including control means manually or automatically activated by the driving means upon piling of some or all the articles of the customer at the delivery end of the piling conveyor band, said articles thereby being displaced transverse to the longitudinal axis of said conveyor, and whereby the control means stop the driving means when all the articles of the customer have been transferred to the delivery conveyor band. In this manner the check-out installation is less space-requiring than the known check-out installation as the delivery sections can be omitted completely. After having paid each customer easily finds his articles because the articles are piled in a lump on the delivery conveyor band at the beginning thereof. The piling conveyor band is usually running whereas the delivery conveyor band is generally idle. While entering the price of a customer's articles in the cash register the cashier unloads said articles onto the piling conveyor band which subsequently advances the articles. Therefore the articles are placed in alignment on the piling conveyor band until they reach the end of said piling conveyor band. Here they are pushed more and more aside because the delivery conveyor band is idle, and consequently they fill the entire width of the piling conveyor band. When there are many articles, said articles can fill the entire piling band. Subsequently, when the control means are activated optionally by the cashier, the delivery conveyor band is activated and the articles of the customer in question end up in an oblong lump transverse to the delivery conveyor, said lump being displaced a short distance away from the piling conveyor band. Now the customer can easily remove his articles from the lump of articles in question on the delivery conveyor band without having to reach out very far.
According to the invention the control means may be a press button such as a pedal switch operable by the cashier. As a result the cashier can activate and stop the delivery conveyor band in accordance with the filling degree of the piling conveyor band. The delivery conveyor band is only activated for periods of a few seconds, whereby the lumps of articles are nicely placed side by side on the delivery conveyor band.
Furthermore according to the invention the control means may be formed by a set of sensors situated at the receiving end of the piling conveyor band, and a timer, said sensors automatically transmitting an activating signal through the timer to the driving means of the delivery conveyor band when the sensors have been activated by an article for a first predetermined time interval, preferably about 2 seconds, or when said sensors have not been activated for a second predetermined time interval, preferably about 10 seconds. In this manner the delivery conveyor band is automatically activated partly when the piling conveyor band has been filled up and partly when the lump of articles is rather small.
According to the invention the piling conveyor band may comprise a driving means associated with a second control circuit which includes a set of detecting means mounted on one or both sides of the piling conveyor band and activating said piling conveyor band, said second control circuit further including an auxiliary timer signalling the piling conveyor band to stop for a predetermined time interval, preferably about 15 seconds, when the detecting means have received a pulse from an article unless in the meantime said detecting means have been reactivated by a further article. As a result the wear and tear of the check-out installation is less than in connection with the usual check-out installations because the piling conveyor band is only running when articles are in fact to be transferred to the delivery conveyor band.
Furthermore according to the invention the piling conveyor band and the delivery conveyor band may be formed by an endless band, whereby the articles listed in the cash register are smoothly advanced irrespective of their size.
Moreover according to the invention the set of detecting means may be formed by a light transmitter situated on one side of the piling conveyor band and a light receiver opposing said light transmitter, whereby a very reliable registering of the articles put by the cashier on the piling conveyor band is obtained.
In addition according to the invention the sensors and the detecting means may be formed by one and the same light transmitter and light receiver, whereas the timer and the auxiliary timer may form part of their respective control circuit, whereby a relatively simple check-out installation is obtained.
According to the invention the length of the piling conveyor band may be shorter than the width of said conveyor band, preferably corresponding to about half said width. In practice this embodiment has turned out to be the most advantageous embodiment.
Moreover according to the invention the surface of the piling conveyor band may be provided with very low V-shaped ribs forming a pattern, the point of each V facing the delivery conveyor band when the piling conveyor band approaches said delivery conveyor band. In this manner the sideways movement of each article at the delivery end of the piling conveyor band is improved, said sideways movement being caused by the pressing of a succeeding article.
According to the invention the ribs may be of a height not exceeding 0.5 mm, and the distance between two succeeding V's of the V-pattern may max. correspond to 50 mm seen in the longitudinal direction of the piling conveyor band. As a result the V-shaped ribs can handle most article sizes and relatively easily press the articles aside at the delivery end of the piling conveyor band.
Finally according to the invention the angle between the legs of the V may be in the range of 90-175°, preferably about 135°, whereby the ribs are particularly efficient.
The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawing in which

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic top view of an embodiment of the check-out installation according to the invention,
Figure 2 is a top view of the delivery conveyor band and the piling conveyor band, the articles being unloaded by the cashier onto the piling conveyor band before a piling of articles has taken place and the delivery conveyor band is idle,
Figure 3 corresponds to the view of Figure 2, the articles being about to be pressed outwards towards the side of the piling conveyor band which results in a lump of articles,
Figure 4 corresponds to the view of Figure 3, but whereby the delivery conveyor band has been running for some seconds and half the lump of articles at the end of the piling conveyor band has entered the delivery conveyor band and been advanced a distance thereon,
Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 4, but whereby the delivery conveyor band has been running a few seconds further compared to Figure 2, whereby the entire lump of articles has entered the delivery conveyor band and is ready for the customer,
Figure 6 illustrates an embodiment of the check-out installation whereby the driving means of the delivery conveyor band are associated with an automatically operated control circuit,
Figure 7 illustrates a second embodiment, whereby the driving means of the piling conveyor band is associated with a second automatically operated control circuit,
Figure 8 illustrates the piling conveyor band and the delivery conveyor band shaped as an endless band,
Figure 9 is top view of the bands of Figure 8,
Figure 10 illustrates a third embodiment of the check-out installation, whereby the sensors and the detecting means are the same set of means,
Figure 11 illustrates the band of the piling conveyor band provided with low V-shaped ribs, and
Figure 12 is a side view of Figure 11.

The check-out installation of Figure 1 comprises a receiving conveyor band 1 followed by an intermediate table where a cashier enters the price of the articles in a cash register. At this table the articles are manually or automatically listed in the cash register. Immediately after the cash register and seen in the advancing direction of the articles a piling conveyour band 3 is mounted, said piling conveyor band being followed by a delivery conveyor band 6. The receiving conveyor band 1 advances the articles of a customer to the cash register whereas the conveyor bands 3 and 6 remove the articles listed in the cash register from the intermediate table. The delivery conveyor band allows furthermore a removing of the articles by the customer. The piling conveyor band 3 piles some of or all the articles in a nice lump, cf. at 10 in Figure 5. A more detailed explanation of how the lump arises is stated below.
Instead of being a separate table, cf. Figure 1, the intermediate table may be formed by the end of the receiving conveyor band 1, cf. the dotted line 2ª. As illustrated in Figure 1 the delivery conveyor band 6 is arranged coaxially to the piling conveyor band 3. Their common axis has been designated the reference numeral 8. The piling conveyor band 3 is of a width b _o being greater than or equal to the width b _a of the delivery band 6. In Figure 1 b _o is equal to b _a.
The delivery conveyor band 6 comprises driving means 12 associated with a first control circuit 14 including control means 15. These control means are adapted to manually activate the driving means 12 upon piling of some of or all the articles at the delivery end 3ª of the piling conveyor band 3, said articles thereby being displaced transverse to the longitudinal axis 8 of said conveyor band. The control means 15 are further adapted to stop the driving means 12 when all the articles previously placed on the piling conveyor band 3 have entered the delivery conveyor band 6. The control means 15 can for instance be a press button or a pedal switch in case of a manual operation. The control means can, however, also be constructed so as to be automatically operated, cf. the explanation stated below.
The importance of the piling conveyor band appears from Figures 2 to 5. The articles 10ª-10g have been listed in the cash register and have entered the piling conveyor band 3, where they are advanced in alignment. Having reached the end 3ª of the piling conveyor band the articles are pressed aside by the succeeding articles, viz. pressed transverse to the longitudinal axis 8, cf. Figure 3. When all the articles are placed at the end 3ª in question and form a lump, the delivery conveyor band 6 is activated by the control means 15 whereby the lump of articles is now transferred to the delivery conveyor band, cf. Figure 4. When the lump of articles has entered the delivery conveyor band, cf. at 10 in Figure 5, the delivery conveyor is stopped and the articles of the next customer can be collected and lumped on the piling conveyor band 3. When the articles of this costomer is to be transferred to the delivery conveyor band the latter is activated by the control means 15, and the lump 10 advances to the position 10ʹ, while the succeeding lump of articles advances to the position 10, cf. Figure 5. The advantage of this procedure is that the customer can remain at the delivery conveyor band and reach the articles so as to place them in his shopping cart or bag, said articles being available in a lump.
As illustrated in Figure 6 the control means can be formed by a set of sensors 15ª, 15b situated at the receiving end 3b of the piling conveyor band 3, and a timer 16. Through the timer these sensors signal automatically the driving means 12 of the delivery conveyor band 6 to stop when the sensors 15ª, 15b have been activated by an article for a first predetermined time interval α, preferably about 2 seconds, or when said sensors have not been activated for a predetermined time interval β, preferably about 10 seconds. In this manner it is ensured that the band 6 is automatically activated when the piling conveyor band is suddenly filled with articles. The conveyor band 6 is automatically activated too when the lump of articles on the conveyor band 3 is rather small, the latter being indicated by no new articles having entered the conveyor band 3 for a relatively long time interval β.
As illustrated in Figure 7 the piling conveyor band can be provided with a driving means 4 associated with a second control circuit 18. This second control circuit includes a set of detecting means 19ª, 19b mounted on one or both sides of the conveyor band 3 as well as an auxiliary timer 17 stopping the piling conveyor band 3 for a predetermined period of time γ, preferably 15 seconds, when the detecting means 19ª, 19b have received a pulse from an article, unless the detecting means have been reactivated in the meantime by a further article. In this manner the piling conveyor band can run automatically.
As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 the piling conveyor band 3 and the delivery conveyor band 6 can be endless bands running about their respective set of drums with an associated driving mechanism and driving means. Figure 9 illustrates how the width b _o of the piling conveyor band can be greater than the width of the delivery conveyor band 6. The length of the piling conveyor band 3 is preferably smaller than the width b _o of this conveyor band, e.g. about half of b _o.
The above set of detecting means 19ª, 19b of Figure 7 can be a light transmitter 19ª situated on one side of the piling conveyor band 3 and an opposing light receiver 19b. These detecting means are activated by an article interrupting a light beam passing from the light transmitter to the light receiver.
As illustrated in Figure 10 the sensors and the detecting means can be one and the same light transmitter and light receiver 20ª, 20b, whereas the timer 16ʹ and the auxiliary timer 17ʹ form part of their respective control circuit 14ªʹ and 18ʹ.
As illustrated in Figure 10 the surface of the piling conveyor band 3 can be provided with quite low V-shaped ribs 23 in a pattern, the point 23ʹ of each V facing the delivery conveyor band 6 when the piling conveyor band 3 approaches said delivery conveyor band. The ribs are preferably of a height not exceeding 0.5 mm, and the distance between two succeeding V's of the V-pattern is preferably not exceeding 50 mm seen in the longitudinal direction of the piling conveyor band.
The angle v between the legs of the V is preferably in the range 90-175°, preferably about 135°.
The invention can be modified in many ways without thereby deviating from the scope thereof. Thus the receiving conveyor band 1 on one side and the delivery conveyor band 6 plus the piling conveyor band 3 on the other side need not form an acute angle relative to one another, but may be aligned, i.e. be placed about the common axis 8. The cashier has, however, better space to move compared to the known installations when the conveyor bands 1, 3, and 6 are arranged as shown in Figure 1.

Claims

1. A check-out installation comprising a receiving conveyor band (1) followed by an intermediate table (2) where the cashier enters the price of the articles in the cash register, as well as a delivery conveyor band (6) situated after the intermediate table (2) and comprising driving means (12), said receiving conveyor band (1) transferring the articles of a customer to the intermediate table (2), whereas the delivery conveyor band (6) advances the articles registered by the cashier to the customer so as to allow him to collect said articles, the intermediate table (2) optionally being placed at the end of the receiving conveyor band (1), characterised in that a piling conveyor band (3) is mounted coaxially to the delivery conveyor band (6) between the intermediate table (2) and said delivery conveyor band (6), said piling conveyor band transferring the articles listed by the cashier in the cash register from the intermediate table (2) to the delivery conveyor band (6), and that the piling conveyor band (3) is of a width (b _o) being greater than or equal to the width (b _a) of the delivery conveyor band (1), and that at least the driving means (12) of the delivery conveyor band (6) are associated with a control circuit (14, 14ª, 14ªʹ) including control means 15; 15ª, 15b, 16; 19ª, 19b, 17) manually or automatically activated by the driving means (12) upon piling of some or all the articles (10ª-10g) of the customer at the delivery end (3ª) of the piling conveyor band (3), said articles thereby being displaced transverse to the longitudinal axis (8) of said conveyor, and whereby the control means stop the driving means (12) when all the articles of the customer have been transferred to the delivery conveyor band (6).

2. A check-out installation as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the control means are formed by a press button (15) (Figure 1) such as a pedal switch operable by the cashier.

3. A check-out installation as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the control means are formed by a set of sensors (15ª, 15b) situated at the receiving end (3b) of the piling conveyor band (3), and a timer (16), said sensors (15ª, 15b) automatically transmitting an activating signal through the timer (16) to the driving means (12) of the delivery conveyor band (6) when the sensors (15ª, 15b) have been activated by an article for a first predetermined time interval (α), preferably about 2 seconds, or when said sensors (15ª, 15b) (Figure 6) have not been activated for a second predetermined time interval (β), preferably about 10 seconds.

4. A check-out installation as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the piling conveyor band (3) comprises a driving means (4) associated with a second control circuit (18) which includes a set of detecting means (19ª, 19b) mounted on one or both sides of the piling conveyor band and activating said piling conveyor band, said second control circuit further including an auxiliary timer (17) signalling the piling conveyor band (3) to stop for a predetermined time interval (γ), preferably about 15 seconds, when the detecting means (19ª, 19b) have received a pulse from an article unless in the meantime said detecting means (19ª, 19b) (Figure 7) have been reactivated by a further article.

5. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the piling conveyor band (3) and the delivery conveyor band (6) are formed by an endless band (Figure 8).

6. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the set of detecting means (19ª, 19b) are formed by a light transmitter situated on one side of the piling conveyor band (3) and a light receiver opposing said light transmitter.

7. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the sensors and the detecting means are formed by one and the same light transmitter (20ª) and light receiver (20b), whereas the timer (16ʹ) and the auxiliary timer (17ʹ) form part of their respective control circuit (14ªʹ and 18ʹ).

8. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the length (1) of the piling conveyor band (3) is shorter than the width (b _o) of said conveyor band, preferably corresponding to about half said width.

9. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the surface of the piling conveyor band (3) is provided with very low V-shaped ribs (23) forming a pattern, the point (23ʹ) of each V facing the delivery conveyor band (6) when the piling conveyor band (3) approaches said delivery conveyor band.

10. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the ribs (23) are of a height not exceeding 0.5 mm, and that the distance (ª) between two succeeding V's of the V-pattern max. corresponds to 50 mm seen in the longitudinal direction of the piling conveyor band (3).

11. A check-out installation as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the angle (v) between the legs of the V is in the range of 90-175°, preferably of about 135°.