JP2000262365A - Check-out system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a check-out system by which the operability of a customer is improved and its security is also improved for an electronic settlement corresponding to an electronic commercial transaction. SOLUTION: A vertical scanner 2 is erected in the outer corner part of a counter 21 which is formed to have almost an L shape by planar viewing and where a position at nearly equal distance from inner edge parts 21b and 21c being adjacent in an inner corner part Cin is adopted as a cashier position P. A data input part 25 by the customer is arranged on the customer side erecting surface 2b in nearly parallel with the cashier side erecting surface 2a in the scanner 2. Thus, the customer only operates the data input part 25 arranged on the customer side erecting surface 2b in front of him or her in the vertical scanner 2 in the neighborhood of the outer periphery of the counter 21. The excellent operability is obtained and the customer side erecting surface 2b is made to be the dead angle in an obtuse angle direction with respect to the succeeding customers B and C who are waiting for the settlement so that security is also improved in a password or the like which is inputted in the data input part 25 arranged on the customer side erecting surface 2b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a checkout system used in, for example, a mass retailer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In today's stores, in order to carry out sales operations efficiently, a long and narrow rectangular counter base is installed in parallel with the moving direction of the customer, and purchased goods brought by the customer on the counter base. 2. Description of the Related Art A check-out system in which a shopping basket containing garbage is placed and a cashier sequentially transfers the basket while performing a registration operation has been generalized. In this case, a reading device such as a barcode scanner for performing a registration operation such as reading barcode information, and an accounting device such as a POS (Point of Sales) terminal for performing an accounting operation such as transfer of money are performed on the counter table. The device is provided as a separate device.

[0003] On the other hand, recently, an electronic commerce system using an IC card capable of making an electronic settlement immediately using electronic money having a cash value equivalent to the cash instead of cash is widely known. According to this system, it is convenient to purchase small lots at a supermarket or the like, which is not familiar with card settlement, and there is no need to prepare coins. In the settlement method using the IC card, a dedicated terminal such as a card reader / writer is required, and the settlement is performed by the customer inputting a personal identification number or the like.

A configuration example of such a conventional checkout system will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view seen from the customer side, and FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view. Schematically, a vertical scanner 2 is erected on the central customer side of an I-shaped (elongated rectangular) counter table 1, and the counter table is located at a position downstream of the vertical scanner 2 along the flow of goods. 1, a POS terminal 3 as an accounting device is arranged on another cashier table 4. Vertical scanner 2
Has a reading window (not shown) for reading barcode information attached to a product based on a cashier operation on a flat-chassis-shaped upright surface on the casher side facing the cashier, and is emitted from the reading window. Laser light or the like is reflected on the bar code, the reflected light is made to enter the reading window again, and is received by the light receiving unit (not shown). Further, a keyboard 5 having a PLU key or the like for registering a product or the like without a barcode, a customer surface display 6, and the like are provided at the top. 7 is a shopping basket.

On the other hand, the POS terminal 3 includes a keyboard 8 for performing a closing operation and the like, a drawer 9 for taking in and out of money, a display 10 for a cashier, a display 11 for a customer, and the like. Note that the vertical scanner 2 and the POS terminal 3 can electrically transmit and receive signals regardless of whether they are wired or wireless, and information from the vertical scanner 2 is taken into the POS terminal 3.

Further, in the case of a store in which an electronic commerce system is introduced, the electronic money input device 12 is disposed immediately adjacent to the POS terminal R3. Is input by the customer.

[0007]

However, according to such a conventional checkout system configuration, the frontage W is relatively long, so that the space occupied by the cash register in the store increases. As a result, the display space or sales floor area of the products in the store is reduced. Further, in the checkout system configuration centered on the I-shaped counter 1, variations in the layout around the cash register are limited, and the degree of freedom for changing the pattern in the store is low. Also,
The vertical scanner 2 and the POS terminal 3 are arranged at an angle relationship of approximately 90 degrees, and the working condition of the cashier is such that the posture facing the vertical scanner 2 and the posture facing the POS terminal 3 are repeated. Each time a registration operation or an accounting operation is performed, the orientation is changed by 90 degrees, which results in a system configuration having a large amount of movement, and the work efficiency is not very good.

[0008] Further, when electronic payment is considered, POS
Since the electronic money input device 12 installed beside the terminal 3 is over the counter 1 and far from the customer, it is difficult to perform operations such as reading a card and inputting a personal identification number. Therefore, in order to allow the customer to operate the electronic money input device closer, it is conceivable to incorporate the electronic money input device into the customer-side standing surface of the vertical scanner 2.
When the customer A who is receiving payment while standing at the position of the vertical scanner 2 performs the input operation of the personal identification number, there is a possibility that the customer A will be seen by the subsequent customers B, C, etc. waiting for payment, and even if they are not actually seen. It gives psychological anxiety that "you may be able to see it," and lacks security considerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a checkout system that can improve the workability of a cashier, reduce the space occupied around a cash register, and provide a variety of layout variations. I do.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a checkout system capable of improving operability and security of customers for electronic settlement corresponding to electronic commerce.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A counter base which is formed substantially in an L-shape in plan view and has a cashier position at a position substantially equidistant from an inner edge adjacent to the inner corner at the inner corner; A vertical scanner that has a reading window on the casher-side standing surface facing the cashier position and optically reads product data, and is disposed on the counter table at a downstream position along the flow of products from the vertical scanner. Accounting device.

Therefore, by using the counter base formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed in plan, it is possible for the cashier to stand at a cashier position at an inner side thereof and at substantially the same distance from the inner edge adjacent to the inner corner at the inner corner. Since the vertical scanner and the accounting device are arranged in an acute angle relationship, the amount of movement when changing the attitude from directly facing the vertical scanner to the attitude directly facing the accounting device may be small, so that work efficiency is improved. It will be. In addition, the frontage dimension of the counter table can be shortened, so that the space occupied by the cash register can be reduced even when a plurality of counter tables are arranged side by side. At the same time, the degree of freedom in layout is increased, for example, by arranging a plurality of substantially L-shaped counter bases sequentially in the same direction, or symmetrically arranging the counter bases in an inverted U-shape.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the checkout system according to the first aspect, a data input unit by a customer is provided on a customer-side standing surface of the vertical scanner substantially parallel to the casher-side standing surface.

Therefore, when performing an electronic settlement, the customer enters a data input section provided on a customer-side standing surface located in front of a vertical scanner provided at an outer corner along the outer periphery of the counter table. The operation is good. At this time, the customer-side standing surface of the vertical scanner is almost parallel to the cashier-side standing surface, and it becomes an obtuse angle to the next customer, etc. waiting for settlement. The security of the personal identification number and the like input by the data input unit provided in the server is also high.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the checkout system according to the second aspect, the outer corner portion of the counter base is formed at a substantially 45-degree cut-shaped edge, and the vertical scanner is provided with the cut-shaped edge. It is erected along the part.

Therefore, the data input section of the vertical scanner can be operated without the corners of the outer corners of the substantially L-shaped counter table being obstructed, and the flow of customers at the outer corners is smooth. Becomes

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view seen from the customer side, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view, FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a vertical scanner portion, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the scanner. The same parts as those shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

Checkout system A of the present embodiment
Is configured based on a counter base 21 formed in an L-shape such that the corners are at right angles when viewed in plan. More specifically, the inner corner portion Cin is made orthogonal to 90 degrees, and the outer corner portion is formed as a cut-shaped edge portion 21a in which the corner portion is cut at approximately 45 degrees. With respect to such a counter table 21, a position substantially equidistant from the inner edges 21b and 21c adjacent to each other at the inner corner Cin is set as the cashier position P. In other words, the cashier position P is a diagonal position connecting the inside and outside corners, and is set inside the counter table 21 (the area within the projection range by the inside edges 21b and 21c).

The vertical scanner 2 stands upright on the cut edge 21a at the outer corner of the counter table 21 so as to be substantially flush with the cut edge 21a. The vertical scanner 2 has a reading window 22 (see FIG. 4) on the casher-side standing surface 2a facing the inner corner portion Cin (that is, the cashier position P) of the counter table 21. Further, the vertical scanner 2 of the present embodiment has a built-in card reader / writer 23 for reading and writing an IC card for electronic payment, and a card insertion slot 24 for the card reader / writer 23 is connected to the vertical scanner. 2 is formed so as to be exposed on the customer-side standing surface 2b.
The customer-side standing surface 2b is a flat casing 2 of the vertical scanner 2.
C is formed parallel to the cashier-side standing surface 2a. Above the card slot 24 on the customer-side standing surface 2b of the vertical scanner 2, a customer data input unit 25 having a plurality of keys used for electronic payment is provided. The data input unit 25 is a vertical scanner 2
And a surface having a plurality of keys is disposed obliquely upward and rearward. Above the data input unit 25, a display unit 27 for displaying the input digits of the personal identification number and the like is arranged side by side. The data input unit 25 and the display unit 27 are connected to the card reader / writer 2.
3, and a card reader / writer 23 is connected to the POS terminal 3 side.

The POS terminal 3 has a higher flow rate than the vertical scanner 2 on the counter table 21 having the inner edges 21b and 21c on the upstream and downstream sides of the inner corner portion Cin having substantially the same length. The space for placing the shopping basket 7 is provided at a downstream position along the line. Thus, the angle formed between the direction facing the vertical scanner 2 and the direction facing the POS terminal 3 when viewed from the cashier position P is an acute angle, here about 45 degrees.

In such a configuration, the cashier stands at the cashier position P, and when registering goods in the shopping basket 7, the cashier performs the work directly facing the reading window 22 of the vertical scanner 2, and performs the accounting work after the registration work. Occasionally, the user faces the POS terminal 3 to perform the operation. In this case, according to the present embodiment, the direction facing the vertical scanner 2 and the POS
Since the direction facing the terminal 3 is at an acute angle of about 45 degrees, when changing the posture from the facing position to the vertical scanner 2 to the facing position to the POS terminal 3 as a cashier, the body direction is slightly changed. , And can be operated without unnecessary movement, thereby improving the efficiency of a series of operations by the cashier. This reduces the fatigue of the cashier and speeds up the process.

In the case where electronic payment is involved in such processing, the customer A located outside the vertical scanner 2
Inserts his / her own IC card into the card insertion slot 24 and causes the card reader / writer 23 to perform writing or reading, and inputs a personal identification number or the like by key operation of the data input unit 25. In this case, the customer-side standing surface 2b in front of you
Can be operated by the data input unit 25 provided in the client, and the operability is good for the customer. In addition, the vertical scanner 2
The customer-side standing surface 2b is almost parallel to the cashier-side standing surface, and becomes a blind spot at an obtuse angle with respect to the next customers B, C, etc. waiting for settlement, without being seen or worried. Security such as a password input by the data input unit 25 provided on the customer-side standing surface 2b is also high. That is, the customer can perform the input operation of the personal identification number without worrying about the eyes. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the data input section 25 is provided so as to be sunk into the concave portion 26, the state of the key operation can be reliably blocked from the field of view of other customers. In addition, since the data input unit 25 has an inclined shape, the operability of inputting a password or the like is also improved. Further, the vertical scanner 2 is provided with approximately 45
The data input unit 25 of the vertical scanner 2 can be operated without being obstructed as in the case where the outer corner remains in the corner shape, since the outer corner is formed upright along the edge 21a of the cut shape. And the flow of customers at the outer corners becomes smoother.

Further, in this embodiment, by using the counter base 21 formed in a substantially L-shape, the length on the upstream side of the vertical scanner 2 and, therefore, the frontage dimension W of the counter base 21 is also reduced. Therefore, even when a plurality of counter tables 21 are arranged in parallel, the space occupied by the cash register can be reduced. As a result, the product display space or the sales floor area in the store can be made larger. At the same time, a plurality of substantially L-shaped counter bases 21 are sequentially arranged in the same direction as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the two counter bases 21 are arranged in opposite directions so as to be symmetrically arranged so as to have a substantially U-shape, so that the degree of freedom in layout, that is, the degree of freedom in changing the pattern in the store is high. . Even when the layout shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 is adopted, the security at the time of operating the data input unit 25 can be maintained.

In this embodiment, the counter base 21 is formed in an L-shape so as to be orthogonal to 90 degrees on the cashier position P side.
However, the angle is not necessarily required to be orthogonal, and may be, for example, about 120 degrees.
Any shape is acceptable.

[0025]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by using the counter base formed substantially in an L-shape when viewed from the top, the inside of the counter base and the inside edge portion adjacent to the inside corner portion are used. Since the vertical scanner and the accounting device are arranged in an acute angle relationship for a cashier standing at a cashier position at approximately the same distance, the amount of movement when changing the orientation from a position facing the vertical scanner to a position facing the accounting device. Work efficiency can be improved,
Since the width of the counter base can be reduced, the space occupied by the cash register can be reduced even when a plurality of counter bases are arranged side by side, and at the same time, a plurality of substantially L-shaped counter bases are sequentially arranged in the same direction. For example, the degree of freedom in layout can be improved, for example, by symmetrically arranging them in a substantially U-shape as a reverse direction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the checkout system according to the first aspect, the data input unit by the customer is provided on the customer-side standing surface substantially parallel to the casher-side standing surface of the vertical scanner. When making an electronic payment, the customer can operate the data input unit provided on the customer-side standing surface located in front of the vertical scanner installed on the outer corner part along the outer circumference of the counter table. Well, in addition to good operability, the standing surface of the vertical scanner on the customer side is almost parallel to the casher side standing surface, and it becomes a blind spot in the obtuse direction for the next customer etc. waiting for settlement, It is also possible to improve the security of the personal identification number and the like input at the data input unit provided on the customer-side standing surface.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the checkout system according to the second aspect, the outer corner portion of the counter table is formed at a substantially 45-degree cut-shaped edge, and the vertical scanner is provided with the cut-shaped edge. , The corners of the outer corners of the substantially L-shaped counter stand do not interfere with the operation of the data input unit in the vertical scanner, and the outer corners are not obstructed. The flow of customers in the department can be made smooth.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a checkout system according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a customer side.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing a vertical scanner portion.

FIG. 4 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a layout example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a different layout example.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of a checkout system showing a conventional example as viewed from a customer side.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view thereof.

[Description of Signs] 2 Vertical scanner 2a Casher-side standing surface 2b Customer-side standing surface 3 Checkout device 21 Counter table 21a Cut shape edge 21b, 21c Inner edge 22 Reading window 25 Data input unit P Cashier position Cin Inside Corner

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A counter table formed substantially in an L-shape in plan view and having a cashier position at a position substantially equidistant from an adjacent inner edge at an inner corner portion, and a counter table at an outer corner portion of the counter table. A vertical scanner having a reading window on a casher-side standing surface facing the cashier position and optically reading product data; and a counter table at a downstream position along the flow of products from the vertical scanner. A checkout system comprising: an accounting device disposed above. 2. The checkout system according to claim 1, further comprising a customer data input unit on a customer-side standing surface of the vertical scanner that is substantially parallel to the cashier-side standing surface. 3. An outer corner portion of the counter base is approximately 45.
The checkout system according to claim 2, wherein the vertical scanner is formed on the edge of the cut shape, and the vertical scanner is erected along the edge of the cut shape.