EP1410318A1

EP1410318A1 - Product identification

Info

Publication number: EP1410318A1
Application number: EP00974501A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eric A. Woolger; Per-Evad Lithander; Richard Mauran
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-11-02
Filing date: 2000-11-02
Publication date: 2004-04-21
Also published as: WO2001033500A1; AU1278101A

Abstract

A product identifier (1) and a system and process for product identification allowing a customer to store the necessary information relating to products which he intends to purchase. The product identifier (1) contains a registration media (3) that the customer has read-in and he intends on removing from the store. The data is accordingly provided to a payment calculation system for a faster and easier check-out process.

Description

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a product identifier and a system and process for the identification of products.

2. The Prior Art

Product identification systems are known, for example, from DE 195 18 888 C2, DE 39 40 605 Al , DE 40 05 105 A1 , DE 195 45 137 Al, DE 197 34 152 Al , and DE 198 06 648 Al. In these cases, the customer convenience in self-service businesses is increased, and costs are reduced. In this situation, the customer takes the product which he has selected and intends to purchase, and enters it into a payment system. This saves waiting times at exits or check-outs, and saves on personnel.

The disadvantage of these references is the equipment is very complex, such as accessing lock and weighing systems, and random checks. DE 195 45 137 Al proposes the use of a security strip, already known from sound carrier media, video cassettes, and books, which is deactivated when the machine-readable label of a product is read. In this case, however, the problem arises that the security strip has relatively low selectivity, resulting in security strips being deactivated, or that elaborate measures must be taken to guarantee that only the safety strip of the product which has just been read will be deactivated accordingly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product identifier and a system and process for identification of products that allows for convenient reading of the product label with a high standard of security.

This object is achieved by providing a product identifier with a machine- readable label comprising electronic registration media, which is recorded in a register when the label is read. The product identifier interacts with an identification system for the identification of products, which is charac- terized by appropriate media for reading the machine-readable label and media for the actuation of the electronic registering media of the product identifier when the label is read. In addition, a process for the identification of products is provided. In a first stage, the label of an identifier located on a product is read by a reading medium, and registers that the reading process has taken place in an electronic register located on the product. In a second stage, a check is performed in a checking area to determine whether all the identifiers of the products located in the checking area have been read.

By the use of the electronic registration media according to the invention, a substantially higher degree of selectivity can be achieved with this kind of actuation. This then makes it possible for the reading process to be carried out more conveniently, as a result of which customer satisfaction will be increased.

While the invention is initially designed with a barcode as the machine- readable label, any type of information allocated to a product and applied to a product in machine-readable form, can be regarded as a machine- readable label within the meaning of the present invention. It is also possible for the product itself, or its packing, to be used as the product identifier, if the reader system identifies the product by means of image recognition.

According to the product identifier of the present invention, it is possible for customers to record a product by themselves using a reader device such as data-processing. This can be accomplished with a portable reader device, which customers can carry with them while shopping. Therefore, the reading-in process can be conveniently carried out by the customer, if they decide to make a purchase. The reader device can also be removably secured to a shopping cart or similar, so that the customer simply scans the product he wishes to purchase past the reader device to record the purchase and then places it in the cart. The additional effort incurred by this process according to the invention is minimal.

In addition, after reading-in, an immediate calculation can be made of the costs of the products, thereby substantially reducing the check-out times. Once a customer has gathered all the products desired, he is still required to pay the purchase price for the data read in at a check-out location. This can be effected by all conventional processes, for example, credit card or cash payments. When leaving the store, a check is made at an inspection area, which can likewise be the check-out area, to determine if the customer has read-in all the identifiers and has paid accordingly.

The present invention is based on the principle of enabling a customer to read-in the products he requires into an electronic reading system, in a convenient manner, and ensuring that all the products which the customer removes from the store have been recorded by the payment system.

Any arrangement may be used as the electronic recording medium that can make a recording when a label is read. For example, the electronic recording medium may comprise a chip. These chips can be designed so small or flat that they can be integrated into a label. In addition, a chip can store a large volume of data, which can be used for the high degree of selectivity required.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the recording medium comprises a selector to identify to what extent the label of the identifier be- longing to the selector, or another label, has been read. This selector can be a constituent part of a receiver of the product identifier. It is possible, for example, for the selector to be a photodiode or a similar light-sensitive device, which is tuned to the frequency of the light beam of a barcode scanner. This device is then integrated next to or in the barcode in such a way that it can indicate to the recording media when a reading process is taking place.

With an arrangement such as this, the scanning beam acts as a transmitter, which sends a directed signal in the reading direction of the scanner or other suitable reading media. However, a separate lighting device or another separate transmitter can also fulfill this task.

In addition, a transmitter can send a redirected signal to the actuating media, designated as the "volumetric signal" , which comprises an identifier capable of identification by the selector. This may be, for example, a product number, a counter, or a similar feature. With an arrangement such as this, the selector comprises an electronic memory or similar means, to check the identifier and notify the recording media when the label of the identifier on which the selector is located is read out.

In addition, there is a memory device for acknowledging a signal emitted by querying means, such device acknowledging to the querying means a corresponding query. A memory, for example the selector, can be queried in this way without actuating the registering means in order to detect the identity of a product. Such a data exchange preferably takes place in a volumetric way, for example by means of electromagnetic signals or by means of ultrasound, so that a defined space volume can be checked by the querying means. It is possible to ensure via suitable communication sequences or communication protocols that each product identifier present in the space volume that can be detected by the querying means is detected accordingly.

Since such a query is possible without the switch of the product identifier as defined by the invention, this arrangement is suitable for the product identification also independently of the other features of the invention. While a switch either can be thrown only once or reset only with relatively large expenditure, the acknowledging means are readily capable of reacting to a query of the querying means a number of times and can thus acknowledge the presence of a defined product. Such an arrangement can be used for detecting the products present in a shopping cart or similar area. However, it is also particularly advantageous for controlling a warehouse exit where it has to be checked by a final control whether all requested products are in fact present in a package or some other unit leaving the warehouse. While a shopping cart has a relatively large vol- ume, such packages leaving a warehouse are frequently substantially smaller, so that the relatively short ranges of the electromagnetic signals have less significance. The acknowledging means may have a selector or a similar memory element that recognizes whether a product or a corresponding product identifier is addressed by the querying means. Furthermore, there can be a memory that contains a corresponding communication protocol, so that the querying means can run through the latter when a query is received. Furthermore, the acknowledging means preferably comprises an emitter that transmits a corresponding signal to the querying means when the corresponding product identifier is addressed.

The recording media can contain a switch having two states. Therefore, whether the label of the product identifier has already been read can be recorded with particular ease. To create this switch, a binary signal may be used. An electrical or electronic switch would be particularly simple from the structural point of view. For example, a burn-through conductor element may be used as a switch, which, when the label of the product identifier is read out, is subjected to the flow of a high current, with the result that the conductor element bums out. In another embodiment, EPROMCSls may be used. It is also advantageous to use a switch which can be switched back and forth between two states. In addition to electronic switches, a regenerable EPROM may be used.

The product identifier may be a receiver that absorbs energy. This energy can be used to set the register or to actuate the switch. In addition to electromagnetic energy, this may also be thermal energy. For example, this energy can be accumulated in an intermediate memory element of the product identifier, and then used to set the switch. Therefore, recording can take place with minimum energy balance allowing the product identifier to be very small and economical in construction. In another preferred embodiment, the transmitter is coupled to the actuating media to actuate the recording media or the switch respectively. The transmitter used for the actuating media may also be used as the transmitter for the energy transfer.

The product identifier comprises a display of the content of the register, allowing the register content to be easily assessed. Accordingly, it is ad- vantageous if the identification system comprises media for the mechanical determination of the display content, so that it is possible for an assessment to be made as to whether all the products which pass through a specific area have also been registered by the payment system, or whether the labels of all these products have been read out.

An area can be monitored particularly easily if the media for mechanical determination of the display contents comprise a volumetric measuring field, and the display contains a media for reciprocal effect with this measuring field. In particular, an inductive or electromagnetic coupling is advantageous, however, other fields can be used for this purpose.

In addition, the display can be an optical display so that it is possible to immediately determine any product which has not been recorded. Since this display is capable of being read, it increases the credibility and therefore the acceptance of the invention.

To be able to show evidence of manipulations on the product identifier, the identification system may comprise a scale, with which the outgoing goods can be weighed and the total weight compared with the nominal individual weights of the products. Products which have not been recorded will then incur a deviation between the values. It is further possible for the people entering and leaving the store to be weighed, therefore products with identifiers cannot be removed from the store on the body of the customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose two embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of one embodiment of a product identifier according to the invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a second embodiment of a product identifier according to the invention.

FIGS. 3a and 3b show the portable scanning device scanning a product label; and

FIG. 4 shows the check-out area scanning the products in a shopping cart.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The product identifiers shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprise a label 1 , on which a barcode 2 is printed as a machine-readable label. On the reverse side labels 1 are coated with an adhesive, and can be easily attached to a product. The adhesive is selected

so that a label cannot be removed without being destroyed. However, the label can be integrated directly into a product package or into a product itself.

Electronic registration media 3 are provided on the reverse of label 1. These media comprise a central control device 4, which is connected to a capacitive element 5. This serves as an energy store for the operation of control device 4. Control device 4 is designed such that in the discharged state of capacitor 5, it will charge the capacitor as soon as energy is fed to it. If the capacitor is charged, control device 4 will switch into another operating state, in which the process stages can be carried out. For energy consumption, control device 4 is connected for operational purposes with an antenna 6' or 6" .

Additional suitable energy sources for the control device 4 can also be used.

Antennae 6' or 6" are designed in such a way that they can interact with conventional inductive theft prevention devices. The properties of antennae 6' or 6" can be changed by a switch 7' or 7" so that these conventional theft prevention devices respond when switch 7' or 7" is closed, and allow products through when switch 7' or 7" is open.

While switch 7" shown in Figure 2 is formed by a very fine conductive element, which can be burned through by a powerful current, switch T shown in Figure 1 is a switch which, in a similar manner to an EPROM, is opened by a powerful current and can be closed again by means of UV light. In this way, an unintentional read-out of a product can be revoked if a customer decides not to buy it.

Central control device 4 is designed so that for switch 7' or 7" to be switched, sufficient energy first accumulates in capacitor 5, and a high switching current is then generated to carry out switching or burn- through.

The embodiment shown in Figure 1 comprises a memory unit 8' , which can be used as a selector. Stored in this memory unit 8' is an unambigu- ous product identification number. If barcode 2 is read by a scanner, this scanner will simultaneously send an electromagnetic signal, which contains the information of barcode 2 in the form of an identifier. The central control unit compares the identifier with the contents of memory unit 8 ' . If the contents match, switch 7' is opened. The range of this electromagnetic signal is selected in such a way that products with the same product number which are not in the immediate vicinity of the scanner will not receive an adequate signal. Therefore, this signal must be sufficiently strong for the switching process as well as for the reception procedure, as well as carrying sufficient energy for capacitor 5 to be adequately charged. Products which are located in the immediate vicinity that have different product numbers, by contrast, will not be affected by this.

In another embodiment, central control device 4 is excited by the signal provided with the identifier to send back the contents of memory 8', which is a product number which is different even for products of the same nature. The scanner picks up precisely this product number, and sends it back to control device 4 with the direct command to open switch T.

Instead of an electronic memory 8' , a photodiode 8" is used as the selec- tor as shown in FIG. 2. This diode is integrated into a strip of barcode 2, and can identify when a reading beam from a scanner passes across the barcode. If this is the case, the command will be issued to burn through switch 7' . However, a photocell can also be used, in which situation the energy absorbed by the photocell can be issued cumulatively or alternatively to antenna 6' and to capacitor 5. In this case, antenna 6' can be dispensed eliminated and another type of display is selected for the contents of the register or the display of the state of switch 7' .

In another preferred embodiment, antenna 6' can be integrated into the barcode itself, if this should be necessary due to the choice of antenna.

If a customer enters the shop in which such product identifiers are provided, he can collect a portable scanner 10, as seen in FIG. 3, from an issuing station. This issuing station may be capable of automatic or man- ual operation. Portable scanner 10 may be secured to a shopping cart or is capable of being secured to a cart.

Customer data may also be stored at the issuing station, for example, the customer's credit. To do this, a credit card or customer card can be used. As essential data, the name of the customer, a credit card or cus- tomer card number, and a number for the portable scanner may be stored. With this data, it is possible, the customer's credit to be checked. The data can also be stored in the portable scanner.

Portable scanner 10 may be designed so that it can store additional customer data or similar information in addition to the product data. Port- able scanner 10 features a display 12 on which the data, or the customer name and the price, or similar information of the last product scanned, can be displayed. Likewise, the total number of items scanned can also be displayed. Display 12 may be capable of scrolling the stored data, preventing for data that has been scanned from being deleted. In addition, portable scanner 10 may feature a keyboard (not shown) so that personnel can record the details of merchandise which is not provided with a product identifier. This is advantageous for meat and vegetables or similar items. The keyboard is accessed by a PIN number, or similar means, for security purposes.

The keyboard can be used to correct the recorded goods if a customer does not wish to buy a product, or can be used for inputs.

When the customer leaves the store, portable scanner 10 can be read out for the purpose of the calculation procedure. In another embodiment, the portable scanner sends, via antenna 14, its information directly to a central computer unit, which then carries out the calculation procedure. As part of this procedure, a list of all the items purchased can be output. The customer then needs only to pay, or to sign an appropriate voucher for his credit card or customer card, and can then leave the store without having to empty the shopping cart or basket.

In this embodiment (see Fig. 3b) the antenna 14 can also be used to send an electromagnetic signal to the antenna 6' of the label 1 according to Fig. 1, in order to transmit the information of the barcode 2 being read. This signal may be used to open switch 7' as is previously described. Further, this antenna 14 may used as a querying device to send a query to the label 1. This query may be acknowledged by the label 1 by sending a signal that contains an identifier which might contain the information of barcode

2. Such an identifier may be stored in a memory unit of the label 1 , i.e. of the control device 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, at the check-out exit 22 of the store, a detector 20 checks whether products in cart 24, with switches 7' or 7' not open, are being removed from the shop. If so, an alarm is sounded. This occurs by an inductive reciprocal effect. However, any device can be used that is capable of sending a signal from the product identifier to a detector which contains information about the register contents.

In addition, scales (not shown) may be provided at the exit or in the checkout area. These scales can assess the total weight of a shopping cart or a shopping basket, including its contents. Since the weight of a basket is known, it is possible for the net weight of the merchandise in the basket to be determined. This can also be output with the calculation of payment.

In a preferred embodiment, the weight of each individual product is stored in the memory. In this way, the theoretical weight of the products contained in a shopping basket or cart can be calculated, and compared with the measured net weight. In the event of discrepancies, an appropriate alarm can be sounded, since it could mean manipulation has taken place. In addition, customers may also be weighed when entering the store, for example at the issuing station, and this weighing process is repeated when they leave the store. Therefore, a check can be carried out, relatively unobtrusively, as to whether manipulated items, i.e. items on which the product identifier is no longer functional, are being removed from the store.

Accordingly, while a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A product identifier having a machine-readable label (2), comprising an electronic registration media (3) for recording in a register when the label (2) has been read out.

2. The product identifier according to claim 1 , wherein said registration media (3) comprises a selector (8' , 8") to identify whether the label (2) being read out is the label of the identifier belonging to the selector (8' , 8") or another label (2).

3. The product identifier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said reg- istration media (3) comprises at least one switch (7' , 7") comprising a first state signifying "not read" , and a second state signifying "read" .

4. The product identifier according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a display (6' , 6") of contents of the register.

5. A system for identifying products having labels, comprising a product identifier comprising an electronic registration media (3) for recording in a register when the label (2) has been read out; media for reading the machine-readable label (2); and media actuating said electronic registration media (3) of the product identi- fier, when the label (2) is read out.

6. The identification system according to claim 5, wherein said reading and actuation devices are disposed in a portable reading device (10).

7. The identification system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said product identifier further comprises a display (6' , 6") of the contents of the register, and that a device is provided for the mechanical determination of the contents of the display.

8. The identification system according to claim 7, wherein said device for the mechanical determination of the contents of said dis- play comprises a volumetric measuring field, and said display (6^! ,

6") comprises a device for reciprocal effect with this measuring field.

9. The identification system according to anyone of claims 5 to 8, wherein said actuating media comprises a transmitter and said reg- istration media (3) comprises a corresponding receiver, wherein said receiver comprises a selector (8' , 8") for identification when the label (2) of the identifier, on which said selector (8' , 8") is located, is being read out.

10. The identification system according to claim 9, wherein said transmitter transmits a volumetric signal containing an identifier identified by said selector (8¹ , 8").

11. The identification system according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a memory unit for acknowledging a signal sent by a querying device.

12. The identification system according to anyone of claims 9 to 11, wherein said transmitter transmits a directed signal into a reader device.

13. The identification system according to anyone of claims 5 to 12, wherein said registration device (3) comprises at least one switch (7' , 7") having a first state signifying "not read" and a second state signifying "read" , and said actuating media comprises a transmitter and said registration media (3) comprises a corresponding receiver connected to said switch (7' , 7") such that energy released by said transmitter is used to actuate said switch (7' , 7").

14. A process for the identification of products comprising:

reading a label (1) of an identifier located on a product by a reading media;

registering that said reading step has occurred in an electronic register located on the product; and

checking the products at an examination area (22) determin- ing that all identifiers of the products have been read.

15. The process according to claim 14, wherein during said step of reading the label (2), a selector (8' , 8") of the identifier recognizes the proper label (2) and not the label (2) of another identifier is being read out, and after this recognition step, a register of the identifier is set from "not read" to "read" .

16. The process according to claim 14 or 15, wherein energy is sent from a transmitter to a receiver for registering a transmitter, wherein this energy is used to set the register.