EP1064610A1 - Method and device for automatic payment of at least one article picked by a consumer in a self-service restaurant - Google Patents
Method and device for automatic payment of at least one article picked by a consumer in a self-service restaurantInfo
- Publication number
- EP1064610A1 EP1064610A1 EP99909031A EP99909031A EP1064610A1 EP 1064610 A1 EP1064610 A1 EP 1064610A1 EP 99909031 A EP99909031 A EP 99909031A EP 99909031 A EP99909031 A EP 99909031A EP 1064610 A1 EP1064610 A1 EP 1064610A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- consumer
- identification
- transponder
- balance
- identification code
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
- G07G1/00—Cash registers
- G07G1/0036—Checkout procedures
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method and a device for determining the price of a set of self-service items in a restaurant.
- Restaurants of this type employ a person responsible for calculating the price to be paid by each co-consumer, corresponding to the total amount of the articles that the latter has chosen and placed on a tray.
- the object of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks, in particular to automate the entry of the price of each item, while offering great security with respect to the risks of fraud. To this end, it proposes a method for automatic payment of at least one item taken by a consumer in a self-service restaurant comprising at least one product distribution station. - 2 -
- this process is characterized in that it comprises:
- the payment by each consumer of the chosen articles is made automatically, without risk of data entry error.
- this payment is made as and when the consumer uses, so that we can thus detect, as soon as the balance of a consumer's account becomes below a certain predetermined limit.
- the items distributed include products placed in reusable containers, which consumers can take and place on a tray, these containers incorporating a transponder module of the same type as the transponder modules fitted to consumer identification supports, this transponder module. comprising means for storing an article identification code.
- this transponder module comprising means for storing an article identification code.
- the transponder modules associated with the articles also memorize the price of the article, which makes it possible to determine the price of each article by a simple reading of the associated transponder module.
- each transponder module associated with an article are accessible both in reading and in writing so as to allow updating of the price of the article stored by the module.
- consumer identification cards are also accessible in reading and writing and memorize the value of a balance.
- Figure 1 is a schematic representation for illustrating the principle of the method according to the invention
- FIG. 2 schematically represents a transponder module
- FIG. 3 schematically shows a preferred application of the method according to the invention.
- FIG. 1 represents a tray 1 on which the articles chosen by a consumer are placed, namely in the case of a restaurant plates 2 and other containers 3.
- a transponder module of the contactless electronic chip type, is associated with each article, either by fixing, for example gluing, or by incorporation into the material at the time of its manufacture.
- Each transponder module includes storage means in which an identification code of the corresponding article is pre-recorded. It can be integrated into the material that constitutes the plates or be glued to the back of them. It can also be integrated into bases tamper-proofly fixed to disposable containers, such as bottles. After consumption, - 4 - the plates are cleaned to be used again, while the bases are separated from the disposable containers and fixed on a new container. From this motherboard, the transponder modules are reusable.
- the tray is placed above a reading device 4 which executes an interrogation sequence by exchanging messages with the transponder modules located on tray 1.
- the reading device 4 has a limited range so as not to reach the transponder modules which may be outside the plate 1 placed above.
- the transponder modules located on the tray transmit in response the identification information of the various articles with which they are associated.
- the reading device 4 implements a procedure for interrogating the chips located within its range, in order to avoid collisions which occur when several transponder modules simultaneously transmit their identification code.
- This procedure may for example consist for the reading device 4 in transmitting a selection code corresponding to a first part of the identification code of the chips.
- the modules which receive this selection code compare it to the corresponding part of their identification code, and if there is a match, they issue their complete identification code with a delay which is determined according to the other part of their identification code. If all the modules have a unique identification code, any risk of collision is avoided.
- the reading device 4 thus successively transmits all the first possible parts of the identification code of transponder modules.
- the area occupied by a tray above the reading device 4 into several detection zones, for example six, each zone being associated with a detection element of the reading device, which is only sensitive to transponder modules located in the corresponding area. If the dimensions of the zones correspond substantially to those of the smallest article that can be placed by a consumer on a tray, we are sure that two modules cannot be - 5 - simultaneously find in the same detection zone of the same detection element.
- Each transponder module located on the tray 1 returns an identification code to the reading device 4.
- the list of identification codes thus read by the reading device 4 is transmitted to a computer 5 which interrogates a database 8 establishing the correspondence between each identification code and the price of the corresponding article.
- the computer thus determines the price corresponding to each identification code received, and performs the sum thereof.
- the computer 5 is connected to a printer 7 to print the values of the articles, thus determined and the total amount.
- the computer 5 can be connected to a display screen 6 which displays the values of the articles identified on the tray and the sum of these values.
- the database 8 associates with each identification code a label for each item, the labels being printed and displayed on the screen 6 in correspondence with the prices.
- Each consumer is provided with an identification card incorporating a transponder module in which consumer identification information is recorded.
- the database 8 then also contains the list of authorized persons, their identification code written on their card and an account on which the associated person can make payments to fund it.
- the consumer Upon arriving at the cash register, the consumer deposits his card on the tray which is read by the reading device 4, at the same time as the transponder modules associated with the articles on the tray.
- the computer 5 accesses the database 8 to determine the account balance associated with the person thus identified, and calculates the remaining balance which corresponds to the difference between the account balance read in the database and the total amount of the prices of the items on the shelf. The computer 5 then updates the database 8 with the value of the remaining balance thus calculated.
- the operator can ask the consumer to make a payment.
- the amount paid is entered by means of a keyboard 9, and the computer 5 updates the database with the value of the new balance calculated as a function of the amount paid.
- the transponder modules associated with articles 2, 3 are accessible in read and write, so as to be able to modify the information stored by the identification means.
- this information can also include the price of the associated item, which can therefore be updated for example when the transponder module is associated with another item.
- the correspondence table between the identification codes and the price of the articles is no longer necessary, the reading device returning to the computer 5 all the information read, that is to say the identification and corresponding prices.
- the transponder modules incorporated in the identification cards of the people are accessible in reading and writing and memorize an account balance which is updated with each payment according to the total amount of the prices of the articles being on the same tray .
- the reading device 4 then comprises means for writing information into the transponder modules.
- the computer 5 warns the person carrying the identification card that the amount of this balance is insufficient and that he must make a payment of money to increase this amount.
- the operator introduces by means of the keyboard 9 the amount paid which is added to the value of the balance read by the reading device 4, the new amount being transmitted to the transponder module of the identification card.
- FIG. 2 represents a transponder chip capable of being used in this application.
- the transponder chip 30 comprises a memory module 34 and a transmission module 32, the transmission module being connected by connection means 35 to an antenna 33. All of the memory and transmission modules can be fixed to a very thin support 31.
- the transmission antenna 33 is in the form of a coil which allows the reading and / or writing device 7 to supply energy by induction to the chip. 30, the - 7 - magnetic field applied to the coil being modulated to carry out the transmission of information.
- the amount to be paid is determined once all of the items chosen by the consumer have been placed flat on a tray.
- FIG. 3 represents a system implementing the method according to the invention, applied to a self-service restaurant comprising several stations for distributing dishes, drinks and other products.
- This system comprises a central station of the type represented in FIG. 1, comprising the computer 5, connected to the keyboard 9, to the screen 6, the printer 7, and to the database 6.
- the computer of the central station is connected, either by wired links, or by a radio link, for example bidirectional at 433 MHz, to several product distribution stations each comprising a reader 41 to 45 of transponder modules, a display screen 61 to 65 and a location 21 to 25 on the consumer tray, associated with at least one read head of transponder modules arranged on the tray, and in particular of the transponder module integrated into the consumer's card, and disposed on the tray.
- a radio link for example bidirectional at 433 MHz
- the computer 5 transmits back to the reader 41 to 44 transmitter the price of the dish chosen by the consumer, - 8 - and the new balance in the consumer's account.
- the reader 41 to 44 then displays on its display 61 to 64 the values received.
- the computer 5 sends the reader 41 to 44 a message signaling that the balance of the consumer's account is insufficient.
- a visual signal such as the lighting of a light 81 to 84 near the station, so as to allow a hostess to more easily locate the station where an anomaly has occurred.
- the station comprising the reader 41 is designed to serve pre-portioned dishes, the containers presented to consumers being filled in the kitchen in containers incorporating a transponder module, as described previously with reference to FIG. 1.
- the reader 41 reads the identification codes of the consumer and the container and transmits to the computer 5 a purchase message containing the codes read.
- the reading of the identification codes on the tray at location 21 is triggered by a sensor, such as an infrared sensor or a camera 71 which, by image analysis, detects the passage of a consumer arm to take a container. During this detection, the reader 41 goes into a standby state until it detects the presence of a container on the tray at location 21.
- the consumer changes the dish, after having placed it on his tray, or if the tray is removed from location 21 while the reader 41 is in the waiting state, the latter also signals an anomaly by switching on. LED 81.
- the container identification codes are recorded in the database 8, when they are filled in association with a value.
- the employee responsible for preparing the dishes has containers in which are integrated transponder modules, for example contactless and read-only. It also has a reader, such as 41 to 45, and a control keyboard comprising keys each corresponding to a dish value, a validation key and a cancellation key. Each time the employee enters a valid value, the reader reads the container identification code and transmits this code, in association with the value entered, to the computer 5.
- the system further comprises a hot food distribution station comprising a reading location 24 associated with a reader 44 of transponder modules located at location 24.
- the reader 44 is connected to several - 9 - control buttons 75, each corresponding to a type of hot dish.
- the cook who performs the service fills a plate in accordance with the request of the consumer who has deposited his tray on location 24, presses the button 75 corresponding to the type of hot dish served, which triggers the display on the display 64 by the reader 44 for the price of the hot dish served, the reading of the consumer identification code whose identification card is located on the tray at location 24, and the transmission to the computer 5 of a purchase message not containing a product identification code, but the price of the product selected using buttons 75.
- the system includes a dispensing station for pre-packaged products, such as drinks or the like, comprising slides whose spacing corresponds to the width of the containers (bottles or other), and also a location 23 for reading the card. consumer identification placed on a tray.
- These slides are associated with sensors 74 for the presence of containers, for example capacitive sensors, capable of detecting the withdrawal of a container in a slide.
- the reader 43 sends to the computer 5 a purchase message containing the consumer identification code read at the reading location 23 and the identification code of the type of drink corresponding to the slide where the sensor that performed the detection is located.
- the reader 43 then displays on the display 63 the price of the drink withdrawn by the consumer, as well as the balance of the consumer's account, which are transmitted in response by the computer 5. If a drink is withdrawn from the post without consumer identification , the reader 43 signals an anomaly by the lighting of the indicator 83.
- the system further comprises a station for distributing bulk products, also comprising a location 22 for reading the identification card of a consumer placed on a tray.
- This station further comprises one or more weighing devices 72a, 72b, 72c connected to the reader 42, and on each of which is disposed a container containing a product distributed in bulk. The consumer can thus, after having placed his tray at the reading location 22, fill an empty container which is made available to him.
- the reader 42 calculates the quantities of products removed, detected by each weighing device, by deduction of the remaining weight relative to the initial weight. It then calculates the total amount of the quantities of products taken by the consumer, by applying a value coefficient per unit of weight determined according to the weighing device having detected a variation in weight.
- the total value of the products withdrawn - 10 - is displayed on the display 62, and transmitted to the computer 5 in a purchase message in association with the consumer identification code read in location 22.
- the reader 42 If, in the absence of identification of a consumer, the weights measured by the weighing devices 72a, 72b, 72c vary, the reader 42 signals an anomaly by the lighting of the warning light 82.
- the system comprises a payment station, comprising a tray location 25 associated with a reader 45 of a transponder module, connected to a bank card reader 55, for example of the smart card type, a keyboard 95, a printer 77, and a display screen 65 which can be tactile in replacement of keyboard 95.
- a consumer To recharge his account, a consumer must place his tray on location 25 on which his identification card is placed.
- the reader 45 reads the identification code memorized by a transponder module, it transmits to the central computer 5, this code associated with the identification of the station.
- the calculator responds by sending the consumer's name corresponding to the identification code, and the balance of the consumer's account thus identified.
- the reader 45 displays this information on the screen 65, and offers the consumer the choice of printing this balance or recharging his account.
- the printer 77 issues a ticket on which this balance is printed. If the consumer decides to recharge his account, he must introduce a bank card into the reader 55, and the operations take place in the same way as a withdrawal of banknotes in a conventional ATM.
- the sum indicated by the consumer is transmitted to the computer 5, in association with the consumer identification code, which updates the balance of the consumer's account in the database 8.
- the anomalies can be dealt with by a hostess who is provided with a small portable terminal 51 connected by radio to the central computer 5, so as to receive in real time all the anomalies detected by the system during the service.
- this terminal triggers an audible alarm and displays the information contained in the anomaly message received.
- This information may include:
- the type of anomaly detected for example "insufficient balance", or - 11 -
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR9803407A FR2776402B1 (en) | 1998-03-18 | 1998-03-18 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC DETERMINATION OF THE TOTAL PRICE OF A SET OF ARTICLES |
FR9803407 | 1998-03-18 | ||
PCT/FR1999/000616 WO1999048034A1 (en) | 1998-03-18 | 1999-03-17 | Method and device for automatic payment of at least one article picked by a consumer in a self-service restaurant |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1064610A1 true EP1064610A1 (en) | 2001-01-03 |
EP1064610B1 EP1064610B1 (en) | 2003-12-03 |
Family
ID=9524257
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP99909031A Expired - Lifetime EP1064610B1 (en) | 1998-03-18 | 1999-03-17 | Method and device for automatic payment of at least one article picked by a consumer in a self-service restaurant |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1064610B1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2842399A (en) |
DE (1) | DE69913326T2 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2776402B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1999048034A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6636835B2 (en) | 2001-04-04 | 2003-10-21 | 3De Innovations | Wireless maitre d' system for restaurants |
EP1657688A1 (en) * | 2004-11-15 | 2006-05-17 | Kurt Deppert | Merchandise management system for a restaurant |
DE102005003348B4 (en) * | 2005-01-25 | 2010-05-12 | Porzellanfabrik Weiden, Gebrüder Bauscher, Zweigniederlassung der BHS tabletop Aktiengesellschaft | Apparatus for electronic billing of food in a restaurant and associated method and receptacle |
CN117455726B (en) * | 2023-12-25 | 2024-03-19 | 广东优信无限网络股份有限公司 | Offline guarantee method, device and equipment for intelligent catering system and storage medium |
Family Cites Families (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA1080357A (en) * | 1975-06-25 | 1980-06-24 | Susumu Iida | Automatic vending machine |
JPS63204460A (en) * | 1987-02-20 | 1988-08-24 | Tokico Ltd | Self-service restaurant system |
FR2658059A1 (en) * | 1990-02-15 | 1991-08-16 | Crocy Jean Louis | Cash register with automatic and simultaneous reading of the price of products; and automatic billing |
DE4042260A1 (en) * | 1990-12-31 | 1992-07-02 | Schickedanz Willi | Recognition system for coded articles or packages - generates electromagnetic waves at distinct frequencies for excitation of printed resonant circuits reradiating to inductive receiver |
JPH04340186A (en) * | 1991-03-28 | 1992-11-26 | Anritsu Corp | Restaurant system |
NZ314270A (en) * | 1992-11-18 | 1998-06-26 | British Tech Group | Transponder identification system: interrogator transmits inhibiting signal to disable transponders |
JPH07182567A (en) * | 1993-12-22 | 1995-07-21 | Fuji Electric Co Ltd | Adjustment system in restaurant |
JPH07234896A (en) * | 1994-02-25 | 1995-09-05 | Tokimec Inc | Method and device for accumulation in cafeteria system |
JPH08180099A (en) * | 1994-12-21 | 1996-07-12 | Tec Corp | Automatic accounts settling device |
JPH08212462A (en) * | 1995-02-04 | 1996-08-20 | Micro Techno Kk | Food price discriminating and recognizing method in automatic accurate account system of self-service restaurant |
EP0795165B1 (en) * | 1995-06-16 | 2000-09-13 | Young Sam Jun | Non-contacting type radio frequency recognizing credit card system |
-
1998
- 1998-03-18 FR FR9803407A patent/FR2776402B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1999
- 1999-03-17 DE DE69913326T patent/DE69913326T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1999-03-17 AU AU28423/99A patent/AU2842399A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1999-03-17 WO PCT/FR1999/000616 patent/WO1999048034A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1999-03-17 EP EP99909031A patent/EP1064610B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
See references of WO9948034A1 * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2842399A (en) | 1999-10-11 |
DE69913326D1 (en) | 2004-01-15 |
WO1999048034A1 (en) | 1999-09-23 |
EP1064610B1 (en) | 2003-12-03 |
FR2776402B1 (en) | 2002-10-25 |
DE69913326T2 (en) | 2004-10-21 |
FR2776402A1 (en) | 1999-09-24 |
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