JP3270170B2 - Clerk calling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention notifies a clerk of a visitor's visit to a store clerk at a store where the store clerk performs various tasks and a customer position opposite to the store clerk is set. Clerk calling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, in stores such as convenience stores that use electronic cash registers for sales operations, in general, the position of a sales clerk who performs various operations and the position of a customer who visits a customer are separated by a counter. An electronic cash register is placed on this counter so that the clerk faces both the clerk position where the clerk executes various tasks and the customer position where the customer visits. Therefore, in such a store, the clerk waits for a customer to visit at a clerk position behind the electronic cash register, and in this state, a customer who purchases a product visits a customer position ahead of the electronic cash register, Executes a sales operation by, for example, registering goods brought by a customer in an electronic cash register.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned stores, the clerk may be waiting in a rest room or the like during a time when customers do not actually visit.

In such a case, it is necessary for a customer who purchases a product to call a clerk in the break room, which is unfavorable because it gives the customer discomfort and lowers security.

[0005] As an apparatus for solving such a problem,
A clerk provided with a reflection type optical sensor provided with a customer detection unit which is arranged opposite to the customer position and detects the presence or absence of a customer, and provided with an audio output device as a visitor notification unit which outputs notification information when the reflection type optical sensor detects a customer. There is a calling device.

However, in a store using such a clerk calling device, the voice output device outputs a notification sound every time the customer visits the customer position, and thus the customer may feel uncomfortable with the notification sound. The power consumption increases unnecessarily, and the durability of the audio output device and the like also decreases. Therefore, it is conceivable that the power of the main unit of the clerk calling device is turned on when the clerk moves from the work position to the break room, and the main power of the clerk calling device is turned off when the clerk moves from the break room to the work position. However, in this case, the clerk sometimes forgets to turn on and off the power switch, and the operation is complicated, which is not practical.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in a clerk calling device disposed at a position facing both a clerk position where a clerk executes various tasks and a customer position where a customer visits, the presence or absence of a clerk is detected at the clerk position. Providing clerk detection means to provide a customer detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a customer at the customer position, the notification information when the customer detection means detects a customer on the condition that the clerk detection means has not detected a clerk A visit notification means for outputting is provided.

[0008]

The clerk detecting means detects the presence or absence of the clerk at the clerk position, the customer detecting means detects the presence or absence of the customer at the customer position, and the customer detecting means detects the clerk on condition that the clerk detecting means does not detect the clerk. Is detected, the visit notification means outputs the notification information, so that the clerk who is away from the clerk position can quickly recognize the visit of the customer.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the clerk calling device of the present embodiment is formed as a part of the electronic cash register 1 in this embodiment.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the apparatus main body 3 installed on the drawer 2
An R / J (Receipt / Journal) printer 4, a keyboard 5 and a control switch 6 are arranged in parallel behind the upper surface of the printer. The electronic cash register 1 is provided with displays 7 and 8 on the front and rear surfaces of an upright portion in front of the apparatus main body 3, and has clerk detection means and customer detection on the front and rear surfaces of the bottom of the apparatus main body 3. A reflection type optical sensor 9,
10 are provided. Further, the electronic cash register 1 has an I / F (Inter
/ Face) 11, and a chime 14 and a lamp 1 are connected to the I / F 11 via extension cables 12 and 13.
5 are detachably connected.

The electronic cash register 1
As for the circuit, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the CPU (Central
Processing Unit 16, the drawer 2, the R / J
Printer 4, keyboard 5, control switch 6, displays 7, 8, reflective optical sensors 9, 10, I / F 11, ROM (Read Only Memory)
17, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 18 and the like are connected by a system bus 19.

The electronic cash register 1
Is to install the apparatus main body 3 on a counter 24 that separates a clerk position 21 where the clerk 20 executes various tasks and a customer position 23 where the customer 22 visits. , And the customer position 23 from behind. Further, in the electronic cash register 1, the I
The movable chime 14 and the lamp 15 which are connected to the / F11 by the extension cables 12 and 13 and are movable here are installed in a rest room (not shown) for the store clerk 20.

Therefore, in the electronic cash register 1, the reflection type optical sensors 9 and 10 for detecting the presence or absence of a person are individually opposed to the clerk / customer positions 21 and 23, respectively. When the reflective optical sensor 10 detects the customer 22 on condition that the clerk 20 has not been detected, here, the visit notification means for outputting notification information by voice or light beam includes the CPU 16, the chime 14, The lamp 15 is formed.

Further, in the electronic cash register 1, when the reflection type optical sensor 9 detects the clerk 20, the operation mode of the drawer 2 and the keyboard 5 and the like is activated, and the reflection type optical sensor 9 is turned on by the clerk. If the security execution means for suspending the operation modes of the drawer 2 and the keyboard 5 if the CPU 1 is not detected,
6 and the like.

The processing operation of the electronic cash register 1 having such a configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in a store as described above, the clerk 20 usually waits for a customer 22 to visit at a clerk position 21 behind the electronic cash register 1, and in this state, the reflection-type optical sensor 9 sets the clerk 20
Is detected, the security execution means of the CPU 16 puts the drawer 2, the keyboard 5 and the like into an operating state. In this state, when a customer 22 who purchases a product (not shown) visits a customer position 23 in front of the electronic cash register 1, the clerk 20 sends the product brought by the customer 22 to the operating electronic cash register. 1 can be registered.

In the electronic cash register 1, for example, when the clerk 20 waits in a break room or the like during a time when the customer 22 does not visit frequently, the reflection type optical sensor 9 does not detect the clerk 20 in this state. The security execution means of the CPU 16 puts the drawer 2, the keyboard 5 and the like into a sleep state. At this time, when the clerk 20 returns to the clerk position 21,
The security execution means of the CPU 16 returns the drawer 2, the keyboard 5 and the like to the operating state according to the detection output of the reflection type optical sensor 9.

However, in a state where the clerk 20 is separated from the clerk position 21 and stands by in a rest room or the like, the customer 22 who purchases the product is placed at the customer position 23 in front of the electronic cash register 1.
, The reflection-type optical sensor 10 is switched to the customer 22 on the condition that the reflection-type optical sensor 9 does not detect the clerk 20.
Is detected by the CPU 16. Therefore, the CPU 16 outputs the notification information to output the chime 14 of the break room.
And the lamp 15 are driven, so that the chime 14 outputs the notification information as sound and the lamp 15 emits light.

In this way, when the customer 22 visits the customer position 23 while the clerk 20 is away from the clerk position 21 in the electronic cash register 1, the clerk 20 waits for the rest room where the clerk 20 is waiting. Chime 14 and Lamp 1
5 outputs the notification information by voice or light emission, so that the clerk 20 waiting in the break room can recognize the visit of the customer 22 and quickly return to the clerk position 21.

Moreover, in the electronic cash register 1, when the clerk 20 is waiting at the clerk position 21,
Even if the customer 22 visits the customer location 23, the chime 14 and the lamp 15 are not driven, so that the output of unnecessary notification information does not cause the customer 22 to feel uncomfortable and contributes to power saving and improvement of durability. can do.

Further, in the electronic cash register 1, when the clerk 20 is separated from the clerk position 21, the drawer 2, the keyboard 5 and the like are in a halt state.
Before the customer arrives at the clerk position 21, the customer 23 is prevented from operating the keyboard 5 illegally or robbing money in the drawer 2.

In this embodiment, the clerk calling device is provided as a part of the electronic cash register 1. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. A clerk / customer detecting means such as 10 is installed on the ceiling surface (not shown) of the store, and a visitor notifying means for outputting notification information in accordance with the detection output of the clerk / customer detecting means is provided as one independent electronic cash register 1. A clerk calling device (not shown) provided as a unit can also be implemented.

Further, in the electronic cash register 1 of this embodiment, the clerk / customer detecting means is replaced by the reflection type optical sensors 9,1.
0, and the visit information means is formed by the chime 14 or the lamp 15 fixed to the break room. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the transmission information means is transmitted through the clerk / customer detection means. It is also feasible to provide them with a mold optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor (both not shown), or to provide a visitor notification means with a pager or the like.

Further, in this embodiment, the clerk calling device is integrated with the electronic cash register 1 and used for supporting sales operations in the store. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. It is also possible to use such a clerk calling device in a bank, government office, inn (neither is shown), or the like, and such a place is included in the store referred to in the present invention. Similarly, the clerk referred to in the present invention includes a public servant and a bank clerk in addition to the clerk of the sales store,
The customers referred to in the present invention are various people who visit various places as described above.

Further, the notification information referred to in the present invention means various information for notifying the clerk 20 of the visit of the customer 22, and various output forms such as electric signal, radio wave, voice, light emission and vibration are implemented. It is possible.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the clerk detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a clerk is disposed opposite the clerk position, and the customer detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the customer is disposed opposite to the customer position. Provided that the customer detecting means detects a customer on the condition that the customer has not detected the clerk, and informs the clerk who is away from the clerk position when the customer visits the customer position by providing the notification information. Since the information is output, the clerk has the effect of recognizing the visit of the customer and quickly returning to the clerk position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a state where a clerk and a customer face each other via an electronic cash register which is an embodiment of the clerk calling device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of an electronic cash register.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit structure of an electronic cash register.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of an electronic cash register.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 clerk calling device 9 clerk detection means 10 customer detection means 14-16 visit notification means 20 clerk 21 clerk position 22 customer 23 customer position

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] Claims: 1. A clerk position where a clerk executes various tasks;
In the setting of the customer position where the customer visits facing the clerk position, clerk detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a clerk at the clerk position is provided, and customer detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the customer at the customer position is provided. A clerk calling device provided with a visit notification unit for outputting notification information when the customer detection unit detects a customer on condition that the clerk detection unit does not detect a clerk.