EP1740076B1 - Self-checkout device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtung with a carrier housing, a provided on the outside of the carrier housing goods detection station and designed as a weighing device goods storage with a shelf and a rear wall and / or side wall, wherein on the rear wall and / or the side wall preferably on the upper side several in shape formed by support arms bag holders are provided.

Self-service checkout devices of the aforementioned kind are known in which the goods selected by a customer are collected and paid for by the customer. The customer brings the goods desired by him to the goods detection station and leads them there to a scanning process in which, for example, a barcode located on the goods is scanned by means of a barcode reader. When the goods are identified by scanning the barcode, the price of the goods and the type of goods are determined: However, it is also conceivable to use an RFID chip to identify the goods.

After identifying the goods, this is placed on a designed as a weighing device goods storage. The weighing device forms a control unit with which it can be compared whether the read-in weight coincides with the actually measured weight and thus serves to check a correctly performed scanning process.

The goods storage has several bag holders in the form of support arms on which shopping bags are hung, in which the customer can fill his goods. The bag holders can also serve to accommodate a bag or bag brought by the customer.

In the known Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtungen is in the bag holders to rigidly arranged support arms whose arrangement and positioning is fixed by the currently selected construction invariable.

Such a self-service device is from the US 2002/0096564 A1 known. From the US 4,998,694 is a bag holder with two support arms known. In this bag holder, the two support arms are attached to a common support plate. However, the support arms are not mutually displaceable, but in each case only from a use position in a non-use position pivoted.

The present invention has for its object to improve a self-checkout device of the generic type specifically in the field of goods storage to the effect that the range of goods storage by a customer is more convenient and flexible.

This object is achieved in that the arranged on the rear wall and / or side wall support arms are mounted to each other displaceable.

With the invention provides the advantage that the support arms are mounted displaceably to each other in their distance and / or in height. In an advantageous embodiment, the support arms can additionally be pivoted into a non-use position, so that a customer can hang both own bags or shopping bags on the support arms after special adjustment of the required distance to each other or can use a shopping basket to put his goods in this shopping basket can. If a basket is used, all support arms can be pivoted into a non-use position eg by folding away and thus do not disturb the handling area when filling the shopping basket. It goes without saying that the goods storage designed as a weighing device offers the possibility, after parking a shopping basket on the weighing device, that it can first be adjusted to a zero position, so that subsequently only the weight of the goods stored in the shopping basket is determined ,

The pivotable support arms can advantageously be pivoted when not in use by return springs in their non-use position.

This results in the advantage that a customer when using a shopping basket can park this immediately and without obstruction by the support arms on the goods storage, since all support arms are in their non-use position. Used the customer, however, his own, brought bag or shopping bag, so it is only necessary for the customer to pivot the two support arms in their position of use, which come to suspend the brought container in question.

According to a development of the invention, the support arms are provided at their free ends with a preferably spherical thickening.

Alternatively, the support arms may also carry a preferably spherical knob at their free ends.

In both cases, there is a pleasant handling of the support arms in a possibly necessary manual pivoting, also the risk of injury during inattentive handling in the filling area of a bag, a shopping bag, a shopping basket or the like is substantially reduced.

Further features of the invention are the subject of further subclaims.

Figur 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung einer Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtung;

Figur 2

eine stark schematisierte Perspektivdarstellung einer als Wägeeinrichtung ausgebildeten Warenablage der Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtung nach Figur 1;

Figur 3

einen Schnitt nach der Linie III in Figur 2;

Figur 4

einen Schnitt nach der Linie IV in Figur 3;

Figur 5

einen der Figur 3 entsprechenden Schnitt nach einem weiteren Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung, und

Figur 6

einen Schnitt nach der Linie VI in Figur 5.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail below. Show it:

FIG. 1

a perspective view of a Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtung;

FIG. 2

a highly schematic perspective view of a designed as a weighing device goods storage of Selbstbedienungskasseneinrichtung after FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3

a section along the line III in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4

a section after the line IV in FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5

one of the FIG. 3 corresponding section according to a further embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 6

a section along the line VI in FIG. 5 ,

In FIG. 1 is denoted by the reference numeral 1 a total of a self-service checkout device comprising a carrier housing 2.

On the outside, a goods detection station 3 and a goods tray 4 designed as a weighing device are provided on the carrier housing 2.

Since the functions of both the goods detection station 3 as well as the goods storage 4 and other functional elements of the self-service checkout device 1 are well known, has been dispensed detailed description and description of these elements.

As it turned out FIG. 2 shows particularly clearly, the goods storage 4 is equipped with a bottom 5, with a rear wall 6 and a side wall 7.

Both on the rear wall 6 as well as on the side wall 7 a plurality formed in the form of support arms 8 bag holders 9 are provided on the upper side.

The support arms 8 are horizontally displaceable relative to the rear wall 6 or the side wall 7 and / or from an in FIG. 2 shown horizontal use position in a vertical or almost vertical non-use position pivoted. However, it is also conceivable that the support arms 8 are vertically displaceable in height and / or can be folded away horizontally to the side.

One possible embodiment for both horizontally displaceable as well as pivotable support arms 8 show the FIGS. 3 and 4 , These FIGS. 3 and 4 make it clear that each support arm 8 is pivotally connected about an axis 10 on a guide piece 11, wherein the guide piece 11 is mounted longitudinally displaceable in each case in a guide rail 12. The guide rail 12 is here provided with a longitudinal slot 13 through which an axle 10 receiving bearing fork 14 is passed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the support arms 8 can be pivoted out of its horizontal position of use up to a vertical or almost vertical end position. It is possible to load the support arms 8 by (not shown) return springs so that the support arms are forcibly pivoted into their non-use position when not in use. Thus, these support arms 8 do not protrude into the region of the base of the bottom 5 and then do not disturb when a customer places a shopping basket on the bottom 5 of the goods bin 4.

In contrast, a customer uses, as in FIG. 2 shown, provided or self-brought bags 15 or alternatively shopping bags, the customer can hang these bags 15 or shopping bags on two of each of the support arms 8, which correspond to their distance from one another most closely to the dimensions of the bags used 15 or shopping bags. Optionally, this distance by moving one or both support arms 8 to each other also be specially adapted.

How special FIG. 3 shows, at the front, free ends of the support arms 8, a preferably spherical-like thickening, in particular a ball-like knob 16, attached. This thickening or the knob 16 on the one hand prevent slipping of a suspended on the support arms 8 bag 15 or shopping bag, on the other hand facilitate handling when moving or pivoting the support arms 8 and ultimately also reduce the risk of injury when handling in the area of the support arms. 8

The knob 16 may be integrally formed on the respective support arm 8 or be placed on a support arm 8 as a separate component made of plastic, rubber or the like.

In the FIGS. 5 and 6 is a further embodiment of the leadership and design of the support arms 8 of the bag holders 9 shown.

In this embodiment, the support arms 8 are mounted only horizontally displaceable in corresponding guide rails 12. In this case, the guide rail 12 is rectangular or square in cross-section and equipped in the region of the lower leg on the inside with a toothing 17.

A located within the guide rail 12 guide member 11 is equipped with a corresponding counter-toothing. The guide member 11 has a lower height than the clear height of the guide rail 12, so that the guide member 11 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6 so far can be raised until the two teeth of the guide rail 12 and the guide member 11 are disengaged. If this is the case, the support arm 8 in question in the sense of the double arrow B in FIG. 6 be moved horizontally. If, after a displacement of the support arm 8 then released again, the guide member 11 moves back down and assumes a verschiebegesichert position by engaging the mutual teeth.

Alternatively, of course, a clamping device may be provided to secure an occupied displacement position of a support arm 8 against unintentional displacement.

In addition, in the FIGS. 5 and 6 shown construction in which a backup of a occupied displacement position is achieved, are combined with a pivotable mounting of the support arms 8. This could in turn be designed similarly as in the embodiment of the FIGS. 3 and 4 ,

A goods tray 4 designed as a weighing device according to the above explanations can advantageously also be used wherever weighing devices of general type are provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Self-service checkout

2

support housing

3

Product registration area

4

goods shelf

5

shelf

6

rear wall

7

Side wall

8th

Beam

9

bag holder

10

axis

11

guide piece

12

guide rail

13

longitudinal slot

14

bearing fork

15

bags

16

knob

17

gearing

Claims (10)

1. Self-service checkout (1) having a support housing (2), having a goods-detecting location (3) provided on the outside of the support housing (2), and having a goods shelf (4), which is designed in the form of a weighing device and has a shelf base (5) and a rear wall (6) and/or side wall (7), wherein a plurality of bag holders (9) designed in the form of supporting arms (8) are provided on the rear wall (6) and/or the side wall (7), preferably on the upper side thereof, characterized in that the supporting arms (8) are arranged on the rear wall (6) and/or the side wall (7) such that they can be displaced in terms of spacing and/or height in relation to one another.
2. Self-service checkout according to Claim 1, characterized in that the supporting arms can be pivoted from a use position into a not-in-use position.
3. Self-service checkout according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the supporting arms (8) can be displaced horizontally and/or vertically in relation to the rear wall (6) and/or side wall (7).
4. Self-service checkout according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the supporting arms (8), when in a position of not being used, are pivoted by restoring springs into their not-in-use position.
5. Self-service checkout according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting arms (8), at their free ends, are provided with a preferably ball-like thickened portion.
6. Self-service checkout according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting arms (8), at their free ends, bear a preferably spherical knob (16) made of plastics material, rubber or the like.
7. Self-service checkout according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting arms (8) are safeguarded, in any possible displacement position, against unintended displacement.
8. Self-service checkout according to Claim 7, characterized in that a clamping device is the safeguard provided against unintended displacement of the supporting arms (8).
9. Self-service checkout according to Claim 7, characterized in that the supporting arms (8) are safeguarded in a form-fitting manner against unintended displacement.
10. Self-service checkout according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the supporting arms (8) are fastened on guide parts (11), which are safeguarded against unintended displacement within a guide rail (12) by a toothing formation (17).

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