IT202000008755A1 - SAFETY SYSTEM FOR BOXES - Google Patents

Description

Description of the invention entitled:

? SAFETY SYSTEM FOR CASHES?

Description

Field of technique

The present invention operates in the field of health safety and of exercise at activities? commercial of any type that in the presence of viral emergencies require agile protection measures for customers, for sales staff, as well as for production and control operators with particular reference, but not limited to, production and assembly lines in series.

Known art

Given that the invention operates in the field of health safety and exercise at the activities? indicated above, reference is made below only as an indication and not exhaustively to the food chains that can suffer enormous economic damage caused by long queues at the cash desks, entrances, fish, meat and gastronomy stalls determined by the social distancing rules provided for in case of health emergencies due to new epidemics.

The possibility? of virus development, for which a prevention such as the vaccine requires long and uncertain times, significantly influences the modalities? of physical purchase all over the world. In particular, it is identified below as a current weak point in the purchase model from the businesses. commercial, the delay caused by the checkouts, related to the risk of virus transmission over distances shorter than safe ones; this problem exists between customers and the cashier operator, as well as among the same customers who parade in front of the cashier or wait in the general line.

The present invention aims in this case of the food distribution chains to solve this problem and, in fact, opposes the risk of transmission of the virus, why? it constitutes the essential protection for the health of customers at the checkout and of the cashier operators. In this way customers will be able to make purchases without worries of contagion and the cashier operators will be able to operate safely, free from bulky masks, which constitute one of the limited current solutions to the above problem and hide their welcoming smiles. Not V?? doubt then that the masks only partially address the critical issues? exhibited so far.

Description of the invention

According to the present invention, a security system is realized which at the moment is purely indicative and not exhaustive specified for cash boxes, which effectively solves the above problems.

Before describing the system, it is necessary to highlight the main criticisms? in the vicinity? of the speakers:

- Respect for the distance between customers in the general row;

- Respect of the distance in front of the cash desk, between the customer who places the items on the conveyor belt, who pays and who collects the paid items;

- Respect of the distance in front of the cashier, between the cashier operator and the customers in the three situations described in the previous point;

- Avoid contact between customers and the cashier through the items purchased;

- Avoid contact between customers and cashier operators through mutually exchanged money;

Solve the problem of nuisance and injuries caused during the entire shift by PPE (personal protective equipment) on the cash register operators, with particular reference to masks and gloves. The system is proposed as a collective safety device and is based on an intelligent system of fixed and mobile panels, which isolate, or in any case hinder, contagions from infectious diseases by air. This type of approach compared to the use of masks is more? effective and certainly more? simple and inexpensive to make, as to make insulation by means of masks really effective? They must be equipped with expensive filters and must be renewed after a few hours of use. For the description we will refer, without for? limit the application of the following invention to this context, to the shopping experience at supermarkets, which must remain active to meet the primary needs of the population even during periods of quarantine or social distancing.

It is therefore proposed to install an intelligent system of transparent or semi-transparent panels which, even by moving alternately, isolate the customer and the cashier during their movements.

We will now proceed for the description of the invention following the customer experience throughout the purchase process and we will refer to figure 1. Initially, the customer with his shopping basket approaches in the vicinity? of the case. In this situation ? possible that you create a general line, so? It is necessary that the customer respects the required sanitary safety distances. In this first position? It is possible to use the space in the shop to avoid close distances, without slowing down the general line and without the need for separator panels.

The first variant pi? evolved involves the use of a video surveillance camera that captures the interior of the store and in particular the general line before the cash desk. Through an intelligent software with image recognition,? It is possible to identify the position of people inside the frames and calculate, given a safety distance, if the distance between them respects the limits or not. Said recognition system will produce? an alarm if the safety distances are not respected. This system? similar to that found in art exhibitions, where a presence detector activates an alarm when the visitor reduces his distance below the minimum allowed, leaning excessively to observe the work of art.

The second variant? pi? elementary and uses a series of horizontal elements, spaced about 2 m from each other (average size of the customer with trolley), at a height of 85 cm. These red / white plastic bar-like elements are connected to each other, so as to be activated in unison, when the first customer in the general row leaves the queue to go to the cash desk.

While waiting in the general queue, before being called to the cashier, the customer has protection from the customer who precedes him at the cashier, in the deposit area.

This is a first panel which, according to the present invention, is instead installed between the customer who is responsible for the next shift at the checkout and the one who is placing his items on the cash desk.

In a variant? advertising messages are installed on this panel, particularly effective as they are clearly visible to all customers who are in a general row.

At this point the customer proceeds beyond the panel of the row and goes to the beginning of the cash desk, where can he? deposit your items on the conveyor belt.

During the deposit operation on the conveyor belt, the customer has three types of protection simultaneously:

- the first through the mobile panel to the customer who follows him still waiting in the general line;

- the second through the fixed panel towards the cash desk operator;

- the third through the mobile panel to the customer who precedes him in the payment area.

Once the items have been deposited, the customer proceeds more? forward to carry out the payment transaction to the cash operator.

During the payment transaction, the customer has three types of protection simultaneously:

- the first through the mobile panel towards the customer who follows him and who is still depositing the articles on the conveyor belt

- the second through the fixed panel towards the cashier operator

- the third through the mobile panel towards the customer who precedes him and who is already? collecting the expense on the collection plan.

Once the payment has been made, the customer reaches the item collection area.

During the collection operation, the customer has 4 simultaneous protections:

- the first through the mobile panel to the customer who follows him and is still making the payment at the cash desk;

- the second through the fixed panel towards the customer who precedes him standing and who is already? collecting paid items on the adjacent collection plan; - the third through the mobile panel to the same customer who precedes it and what? intent on leaning out of the fixed panel to collect the items;

<-> the fourth through the fixed panel towards the cashier operator.

It should be noted that all the panels are transparent or semi-transparent according to the present invention; there? in order to allow the cashier to communicate visually with the customer and to monitor the situation in the cashiers; there? also to prevent the panel system from affecting the psyche of the customers

A variant foresees that these panels have anyway a slight color, while respecting the semitransparency; there? for aesthetic reasons and also for sales psychology.

In any case, can all panels support advertising? of all kinds, from stickers, to window decals, to dynamic digital images or those projected. A variant foresees that this panel is made of resistant and bulletproof material, in order to protect the cash operator in case of attempted robberies, from the use of firearms, knives, irritating sprays, etc.

In the same variant? there is a rear door with safety lock, made of material similar to the panel, which allows the cashier to access the cashier safely, remaining protected on all 4 sides.

Always to safeguard the safety of the shop? It is possible to install a video surveillance camera together with the panels, with any extra functions managed by a separate software as illustrated above. Can cameras be used for this purpose, capable of intercepting situations of tension or danger, through the interpretation of gestures? of customers.

To allow easy communication through the panel, an opening protected by an interchangeable anti-viral filter is proposed in a variant of this system, which allows the sound waves to pass easily over the panel without however? let through potentially contagious airflows.

Always during the payment transaction, yes? assessed that contact with cash could be a risk. Therefore it is proposed, in a possible variant, to equip the cash desk with an automatic cash collector that allows the cash operator not to come into contact with cash.

In the basic version of the invention, on the other hand, the customer and the operator are expected to use waterproof plastic gloves.

The cashier operator then takes care of withdrawing the items from the cashier, calculating the amount owed by the customer and assisting with the payment. The articles are then directed to a collection plan, where the customer can? withdraw them with ease? without getting in the way. Given the potentially short distances, it is necessary to isolate the customer making the payment at the cashier from the one who is collecting the items on the collection plan. ? also? necessary that if the collection plan provides for the possibility? to accommodate more? of a customer, these customers are separated from each other. Also in this case it is proposed to use transparent and semitransparent mobile and fixed panels similar to the one that separates the placement area of the items in the checkout from that of the payment. In the main version of this system, it is also envisaged that a laser-type remote temperature detector is installed, affixed to one of the fixed panels, to measure the body temperature of customers passing through the cashier. This detector will be? also present at the entrance of the activity? commercial and there will be? a match between the two measurements. How to ? disclosed for example for the SARS-COVID-19 virus, an above average temperature? a symptom of contagion that must therefore be managed with particular attention. A variant provides for a virus detection system by processing the customer's voice timbre.

Finally, we now wish to describe two optional sanitation systems to be applied during the process described up to now.

The first system takes care of periodically sanitizing the surfaces of the panels between one customer and the other as well as the front surface of transit of the customers as separation from the cash operator by means of a nebulizer that sprinkles the surface of the panel with an alcohol-based preparation in able to eliminate the bacterial and viral load; a wiper spreads the preparation and cleans before the next customer.

A second sanitation system concerns the packaging of the articles. Many of them can be sanitized using a nebulizer on the articles, similar to the one described above. To keep the items in hygienic conditions, an optional bagging machine is proposed that seals the envelope around the packages. ? finally, it is expected that these bags have been previously sterilized. The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description set out up to now and will be even more? clear thanks to the attached figures and the related detailed description.

Description of the figures

The invention will come hereinafter described in at least one preferred embodiment, for explanatory and non-limiting purposes with the aid of the attached figures, in which:

- FIGURE 1a shows in a perspective view from above the whole purchasing process and the panels used. In particular, the panels for the front cash desk 101, side panels 101A and 101B are shown, the movable or fixed panels for the purchasing process 103A and 103B, the panel for the general row 102 and the panels for withdrawal 104 and 105. On the panel 102 are installed advertising messages facing the queue of the cash register; is it specified that on all the other panels (101, 101A, 101B, 103A, 103B, 104 and 105)? possible to place advertising? of any kind, shape and technology. On panel 102? installed one of the 900 light signals that warns the next customer when? his turn. The environment? taken by the surveillance camera 200 connected to a computerized image recognition system 800. On the panel 101 which directly divides the customer from the cash operator? the laser-type remote temperature detector 100 is installed. The purchased items are collected in an envelope to be sealed after being sanitized by the system with nebulizer 700. For greater understanding, the panels indicated above are also shown in the lateral and front perspective views in the FIGURE 1b and 1c.

- FIGURE 2 illustrates the cash desk as it appears to the customer at the time of payment. Between the customer and the cash operator? installed a panel 101 in transparent or semi-transparent and possibly bulletproof material. Communication with the customer? allowed by opening 500 with the interchangeable filter FFP3. Payment instead? handled by the 300 wallet which accepts cash and returns the change.

- FIGURE 3 shows the optional sanitizing system of the surfaces of the panels 600 composed of a nebulizer 601 and a wiper 602.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention will come now illustrated purely by way of example but not limiting or binding, with recourse to the figures which illustrate some embodiments relating to the present inventive concept.

With reference to FIG. 1 can you? observe the buying process seen from above.

Initially the customer is in first place in the general row in front of panel 102. While he waits, he can? see the advertisements that are posted on the latter and also on the panel 101A and 103A. The scene ? shot by a video surveillance camera 200. By means of an intelligent image recognition software, in the event that in the row the distance between two people? less than the safety one, an alarm is generated, which warns of the risk of contagion. When the first customer in line can? proceed to place their articles on the counter surface, a 900 light signal invites them to proceed. While the customer places the items on the conveyor belt, the 101A panel ensures the separation between the customer and the checkout operator, who collects the items on the conveyor belt. The 103A panel, on the other hand, guarantees the separation between the same customer who places the articles on the conveyor belt and the customer who already has? performed this action and is making the payment in front of the cashier. While the customer makes the payment, the 103B panel separates him from the customer who precedes him and who is already standing. collecting the items on the collection plan. In that payment zone? installed a laser-type remote temperature detector that signals possible symptoms. Meanwhile, the cash operator? isolated from the surrounding environment through the panels 101, 101A and 101B, which, however, being transparent or semi-transparent, allow him to be aware of what is happening in the surrounding spaces.

When the items are moved to the collection table, they are subjected to a sanitizing system 700 which nebulizes an alcohol-based compound over the packages and then places them in a sterilized bag ready to be collected by the customer. The payment area and the withdrawal area are once again separated from each other by a mobile panel 103B. The two withdrawal areas are instead separated by panels 104 and 105.

With reference to FIG. 2, on the other hand, it is specified how the payment takes place, that is the time pi? delicate, which requires a close distance between the cashier operator and the customer. The two are separated by a panel in transparent or semi-transparent and possibly bulletproof material, in order to ensure visibility? and security for the cashier operator. A quick diagnosis of symptoms is carried out by the laser-type remote temperature detector 100 (or voice virus detector) installed on the upper part of the panel 101 which separates the two zones.

Voice interaction? guaranteed by the opening 500 that allows to filter the air through an FFP3 filter, or with greater safety able to block even the most? small. Electronic payment? managed in the payment area while the cash flow can? be managed in the collection area by means of an optional automatic module 300 which accepts cash, calculates the amount entered and returns the change to the collection plan. The optional cash payment system allows at least the operator not to come into contact with cash.

With reference to FIG. 3? exemplified is the sanitizing system of the panels which comes into operation automatically at regular time intervals or in the case of suspected contagion detected by the laser thermometer 100. The system? consisting of a nebulizer 601 which spreads an alcohol-based product on the surface of the panel 101 on the customer side and a wiper 602 suitable for cleaning the surface.

? finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variants that are obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described up to now, without thereby departing from the scope of protection. provided by the appended claims.

With reference to the materials constituting the invention, it is necessary to include all the variety? of thicknesses, weights and materials that can be used for the realization of the panels, from plexiglass, to polycarbonate, polionda, methacrylate, pet, plastic fibers, glass of all kinds and anything else functional and / or useful for the purpose.

These materials will be mainly all transparent or semitransparent, but some of them may also include colored effects of any kind that are functional and / or useful for the purpose.

With reference to the movement systems of the movable panels, it is necessary to include all the variety? solutions, translating, rotating and in any case functional and / or useful for the purpose. The aforementioned movements can be done manually, in the pi? elementary or can be automated in the version with the complete number of variants.

Is there a possibility? that the panels 102, 103A and 103B can be assisted by a presence detector with alarm or even replaced by trampling sensors or detection sensors such as? curtain? on vertical supports.

? it is also clear that all the accessories functional to the movement of the panels: guides, wheels, gaskets, pins, washers and all that? that ? inherent to the scope of the invention are obvious to a person skilled in the art and therefore foreseen in the realization of the same.

Is there a possibility? that the panels 103A and 103B can also be fixed in the cases of less space available.

With reference to the shape of the panels, it can? be linear as well as rounded, sinusoidal and in any case any functional and / or useful shape. Only as an indicative and non-exhaustive example, the shapes of? Heart ?,? Leaf ?,? Eyelid? and? drop? are the pi? useful in order to provide separation without burdening the psyche of the customers.

Always and only by way of indicative and non-exhaustive example, the presence of curves on the plane and in the space of the panels represent a harmonious solution in the eyes of customers and therefore less impacting on their psyche.

Even the slots for customer maneuvers will vary in size. With reference to the advertising writings / images, all panels will be able to receive them. These are images of all kinds, from stickers to window stickers, up to digital projections or dynamic scrolling films.

Claims (12)

Claims 1. Security system for cashiers characterized by the fact of being based on a plurality of protection from airborne contagion in the form of panels; said system comprising at least the following panels: A) a panel for the cashier consisting of a main front partition (101) and two side partitions (101A) and (101B) designed to protect the cashier operator; this panel being able to separate the cash operator from the customer who is depositing the purchased items (101A) and from the customer who is collecting the items on the collection plan (101B); B) a panel for the row (102) designed to separate customers in a general row from those who are at the various cash desks; C) a plurality? alternating movement panels for the purchasing process (103A, 103B) designed to pass and separate the customers from each other while they place the items on the conveyor belt, make the payment at the cash desk, collect the items from the collection table; D) a fixed collection panel (104) designed to ensure the safety distance and to separate customers from each other while they collect items purchased from a collection floor; E) a mobile panel on the collection surface (105) for the separation of the separate expenses between the two customers all the panels (101, 101A, 101B, 102, 103A, 103B, 104, 105) being on average transparent or semi-transparent and capable of allowing the cashier to observe the entire purchase process; being said panels for the purchasing process (103A, 103B) mobile, self-propelled or even fixed and able to allow the customer to pass from one step to the next during the purchase; said system further comprising a laser-like remote temperature detector (100) adapted to measure the client's body temperature for a provisional diagnosis of symptoms; being said detector able, if the temperature exceeds the normal, to report the measurement on the receipt and eventually transmit it via the network to the authority? health care of competence. 2. Security system for checkout counters, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized by the fact of comprising at least one surveillance camera (200) which records the operations carried out at the checkout also for greater safety of the commercial operation. Cash register security system, according to any one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cash register allows automatic payment through an opening (300) which accepts cash and automatically produces change. 4. Security system for checkouts, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of comprising a system for detecting the limit exceeded by means of presence sensors positioned in the area of the checkout, to delimit the two adjacent areas for laying and collecting the articles . 5. Security system for cashiers, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cashier panel (101, 101A, 101B)? in resistant and bulletproof material and? therefore designed to protect the cashier operator from robbery attempts and combined with a fourth panel also made of resistant and bulletproof material and therefore also suitable for protecting the uncovered side of the cashier station. 6. Security system for cash desks, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that inside said cash panel (101)? there is an opening with anti-viral air filter (500) designed to allow easy communication between the cashier operator and the customer. 7. Safety system for crates, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an automatic cleaning system (600) adapted to sanitize said panels (101, 101A, 101B, 102, 103A, 103B with alcohol-based preparations) , 104, 105) composed of a nebulizer (601) and a wiper (602) adapted respectively to spread the preparation on the panel and to clean before the next customer. Security system for crates, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an automatic sanitizing and bagging system for packages (700) adapted to use a sanitizing preparation which is nebulized on the packages; said packages being then collected and automatically inserted into a sterilized envelope and subsequently hermetically sealed. 9. Security system for cash desks, at least according to claim 2, characterized in that an image recognition system (800) connected to surveillance cameras such as said video camera (200) able to measure from the images, after recognizing the figure of the people, the mutual distance between customers waiting in line at the checkout,? able to send an alarm if this mutual distance falls below the safety distance allowed by the recommended sanitary measures. Security system for cash desks, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in correspondence with at least one panel for the row (102) and the panels around the cash register (101, 101A, 101B, 103A, 103B, 104 and 105) are installed advertising messages aimed at customers in the queue, combined with a plurality of? of light signals (900) designed to guide the customer along the purchase process so that? he complies with all safety measures. 11. Security system for cash desks, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said laser-like remote temperature detector (100)? flanked by a second sensor able to detect the presence of contagion symptoms from the vocal timbral. 12. Use of a cash register security system, according to any one of the preceding claims, at the cash registers of commercial establishments such as: supermarkets, pharmacies, tobacconists, clothing stores, gyms, restaurants, canteens, medical and professional offices, activities? commercial of all kinds, factories, industries and activities? production with particular regard to those with continuous and / or serial cycles of assembly / production and the like.