GB2028647A

GB2028647A - Detection system for checkout counters

Info

Publication number: GB2028647A
Application number: GB7928796A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Peterson F H
Current assignee: Peterson F H
Priority date: 1978-08-28
Filing date: 1979-08-17
Publication date: 1980-03-12
Also published as: FR2434603A1; NL7906430A; SE7906979L; DK378578A; DE2933717A1; FR2434603B3; DK144812B

Abstract

The system, for use with a checkout counter for checking out articles unloaded from a basket mounted on a shopping cart, comprises a transmitter- receiver (4, 5) emitting a scanning beam across a passage, which the shopping cart must pass, so that when the scanning beam is interrupted by articles on the wheel-carrying frame (10) of the cart below the basket (9), an alarm signal is given. The shopping cart includes reflecting means (1) reflecting a beam from a pair of transmitter-receivers (2, 3) and thereby activating and inactivating, respectively, the transmitter- receivers (4, 5) emitting the scanning beams. As a result "false alarms" are avoided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A checkout counter system The invention relates to a checkout counter system for checking out articles unloaded from a basket or a similar container mounted on a shopping cart provided with a wheel-carrying frame, said articles being loaded on a counter on which the articles are moved past a cash register while the shopping carts are moved alongside the counter and, at least one transmitter-receiver emitting a scanning beam across the passage of the shopping carts in a level a short distance above the top side of the wheelcarrying frame, said transmitter-receiver being adapted so as to produce an alarm signal when the beam emitted by the transmitter is interrupted by an article located on said frame, while another set of beams prevents alarming, when anything but a shopping cart is passing.

In supermarkets it has turned out to be a serious problem that even rather great amounts of articles are loaded on the wheel-carrying frame of the shopping cart and carried past the cash register without being registered by the cashier, who has only poor possibilities of observing articles present below the basket or container on the cart.

In a checkout counter system of the kind forming the object of the present invention the cashier should be able to decide whether a customer unlawfully tries to carry off non-registered articles located on the wheel-carrying frame of the shopping cart. The scanning beam is preferably a light beam influencing a photocell, but it may also be a radar or ultrasonic beam actuating an alarm signal when interrupted by objects arranged on the carrying frame of the shopping cart. This way of scanning has, however, the drawback that the alarm signal should be actuateable by the steering strap and rods of the shopping cart supporting the basket on the frame, or by persons passing the passage without a shopping cart. Such frequent "false alarms", however, involve an almost impracticable control and the scanning system loses its value.

An attempt to solve this problem appears from German patent specification No. 1,803,480 showing a control system in which a transverse light beam is emitted at a level just below the bottom of the basket of the cart and, a beam at a slightly higher level is emitted so that it will be interrupted by an opaque band on a cart. When said last-mentioned beam is interrupted without simultaneous interruption of said first-mentioned beam, i.e. when a cart is passing, a scanning beam at a lowermost level will actuate an alarm signal when impinging an article located on the frame of the cart. However, there is a serious risk thatthe beam just below the bottom of the basket may be interrupted by objects on the cart, so that the alarm will not function.The system is complicated and requires an extremely exact adjustment of the transmitters, but still it does not secure reliability against missing or false alarms. Neither can it be easily adapted to various types of shopping carts.

According to the invention, each shopping cart is provided with a reflecting means reflecting a beam from at least one transmitter-receiver such as a photocell unit, said transmitter-receiver being adapted to activate the transmitter-receiver for the scanning beam when it is receiving the reflected beam. The reflecting means provides a reliable activation and inactivation of the scanning beam each time a cart is passing and, a person passing without a cart cannot activate the scanning beam.

The transmitter emitting the beam to be reflected can easily be adjusted in height corresponding to the height of the reflecting means on any type of shopping cart.

Though the transmitter-receiver units for the scanning beams may possibly be situated on their respective side of the passage, it is according to the invention preferred that all the transmitter-receivers are located on the side of the counter and, that the transmitter-receiver for the scanning beams is adapted so as to co-operate with a reflecting band arranged on the opposite side of the passage. As a result the construction of the checkout counter system is simplified. If the scanning beam is a radar beam or a similar beam having a limited range the reflecting band may be dispensed with and, further an increased security against false alarms caused by persons passing the cart on the side turning away from the cashier is obtained.

According to an embodiment of the invention all the transmitter-receivers for serving a counter are located in a table forming an independent unit at the end of an adjacent counter displaced in the longitudinal direction. In this manner the mounting and adjusting of the means are facilitated.

When the passage is so narrow that customers cannot pass beside the shopping carts, it is actually sufficient that only a single transmitter-receiver is present for scanning articles, if any, below the basket, provided said basket extends freely forwards from support at the rear end of the cart and, the transmitter-receivers for activating and inactivating the scanning system is arranged in such a manner that the scanning is terminated immediately before the support at the rear end of the cart passes the scanning transmitter-receiver. In most cases in practice, it is, however, preferred that two transmitterreceivers for scanning beams are located at short regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the counter and are adapted so as only to activate the alarm signal when both beams are interrupted.In this manner it is ensured that the alarm signal is not actuated by thin supporting rods between the frame and the basket or by a leg of a person passing beside the cart in the event the passage is sufficiently wide.

The transmitter-receiver for starting and stopping the scanning beam are according to the invention preferably connected to a lamp showing the working period of the transmitter, whereby the cashier inter alia may control the efficiency of the reflecting means when a shopping cart passes.

The invention will be illustrated below in connection with an embodiment of the checkout counter system according to the invention and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a shopping cart for the checkout counter system according to the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of a counter constituting one side of a passage for shopping carts, and Figure 3 is a sectional view of a second counter located opposite the counter of Figure 2 and forming the second side of the passage for shopping carts.

The shopping cart illustrated in Figure 1 comprises in usual manner a basket or container 9 supported on a wheel-carrying frame 10 by means of a support 11 and the steering strap 12 of the cart. The basket 9 projects freely forwards from the support 11, A reflecting means 1 is secured in height immediately below the basket 9 on the side of the shopping cart.

This reflecting means 1 reflects a beam emitted by a transmitter-receiver 2 and 3, respectively, located on the side of a counter 13. On this counter, an article unloaded from the basket 9 is carried past a cash register not shown. The transmitter-receivers 2 and 3 may be light source photocell units or other types of transmitter-receiver units such as ultrasonic generators and receivers or radar equipment. When the shopping cart is pushed into the passage along the counter 13 until the position illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 2, the reflecting means 1 reflects the beams of the transmitter back to the receiver in the unit 2. This unit is adapted in such a manner that it thereby activates an additional set of transmitterreceivers 4 and 5 located in height immediately above the wheel-carrying frame 10 of the shopping cart.As a result the beams are interrupted by an object located on the frame. The units 4 and 5 are connected in such a manner that they - when the beams are interrupted by both units - activate a lamp or a corresponding alarm signal warning the cashier at the cash register of articles carried on the cart and to be checked. It is to be understood that the scanning beams at the transmitter-receivers 4 and 5 may pass from a transmitter on one side of the passage to a receiver on the opposite side of the passage.However, in order to obtain the simplest system it is preferred that the transmitter and the receiver units 4 and 5 are located on the same side and that the beams emitted are reflected by a reflecting means or a reflecting band 6 arranged opposite the transmitter-receivers 4 and 5 on the counerforming the second limitation of the passage for the shopping carts, cf. Figure 3 and the dotted lines of Figure 2.

When the free space below the shopping cart 9 has passed the transmitter-receivers 4 and 5, the reflecting means 1 has reached the position opposite the transmitter-receiver 3, whereby the beams of the transmitter are reflected to the receiver interrupting the emission at the transmitter-receivers 4 and 5, thus stopping the scanning. The transmitterreceivers 2 and 3 are connected in such a manner to a lamp 7 that said lamp is switched off when the reflecting means 1 passes the unit 2 and is switched on again when said means passes the unit 3, thus permitting the cashier to check the efficiency aimed at of the reflecting means.

Since the beams of both transmitter-receivers 4 and 5 must be interrupted before the signal lamp 8 is alight, the false alarms occurring when thin links, if any, between the basket 9 and the frame 10 pass the beams as well as when the leg of a person walking beside the cart passes the beams, are avoided. In the event a basket 9 projecting freely, cf. the drawing, is carried through a passage so narrow that the cart can only just pass, a single transmitter-receiver 4 or 5 is, if desired, sufficient since the transmitterreceiver 3 then is arranged in such a manner that it interrupts the scanning immediately before the support 11 passes the scanning beams.

It is to be understood that many modifications may be performed within the scope of the invention, both concerning the nature of the activation and inactivation beams and the scanning beams and concerning the location of the transmitter-receivers and of the reflecting means 1.

Claims

1. A checkout counter system for checking out articles unloaded from a basket or a similar container mounted on a shopping cart provided with a wheel-carrying frame, said articles being loaded on a counter on which the articles are moved past a cash register while the shopping carts are moved alongside the counter and, at least one transmitterreceiver emitting a scanning beam across the passage of the shopping carts in a level a short distance above the top side of the wheel-carrying frame, said transmitter-receiver being adapted so as to produce an alarm signal when the beam emitted by the transmitter is interrupted by an article located on said frame, while another set of beams prevents alarming, when anything but a shopping cart is passing, characterised in that each shopping cart is provided with a reflecting means reflecting a beam from at least one transmitter-receiver such as a photocell unit, said transmitter-receiver being adapted to activate the transmitter-receiver for the scanning beam, when it is receiving the reflected beam.

2. A checkout counter system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that all the transmitter-receivers are located on the side of the counter and, that the transmitter-receiver for the scanning beams is adapted so as to co-operate with a reflecting band arranged on the opposite side of the passage.

3. A checkout counter system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that ait the transmitter-receivers for serving a counter are located in a table forming an independent unit at the end of an adjacent counter displaced in the longituS dinal direction.

4. A checkout counter system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transmitter-receiver for starting and stopping the scanning beam are connected to a lamp showing the working period of the transmitter.

5. A checkout counter system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the horizontal distance between two transmitter receivers for start and stop, respectively, of the scanning beam is substantially equal to the distance between the front of a shopping cart and a support located at the back of the cart for a basket projecting freely fowards.

6. A checkout counter system substantially as described above and with reference to the accompanying drawing.