JP4555047B2 - Checkout system for non-standard products - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a settlement method and system for atypical products, and in particular, vegetables and the like by a POS (Point of Sales) terminal device installed in a retail store such as a supermarket (hereinafter referred to as a supermarket) or a convenience store (hereinafter referred to as a convenience store). The present invention relates to a method and a system for adjusting an atypical product that can be easily settled using a shopping cart or a shopping cart equipped with an IC chip.

The retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores described above handle not only regular shaped products, that is, regular products, but also non-standard products having different dimensions, shapes, weights, and the like. Examples of such atypical products are the vegetables and fruits described above. Such non-standard products are packaged in foam trays or plastic packs for each piece (in some cases, divided into ½ or ¼) or in a substantially constant quantity (ie, a constant quantity or weight) and price tags attach to it is common.

  However, atypical products are often sold in an unwrapped state in order to increase the environmental awareness of consumers (customers) such as garbage problems and to differentiate them from competitors in terms of product freshness and other quality. It has become to. For non-packaging atypical products, register the product name and unit price in the POS server in advance, and at the time of payment, the store clerk (that is, the POS terminal operator) checks the actual product and quantity, and settles by operating the registration key on the POS terminal device. Input operation as a target product. This operation takes time, and at the time when a large number of customers are concentrated, for example, at the time of congestion such as evening, a long queue is waiting for settlement, which contributes to a decrease in customer service (satisfaction).

  Conventional techniques or related techniques for solving such problems are disclosed in several technical documents. A purchased product settlement system is disclosed in which an IC (semiconductor integrated circuit) chip is attached to each package of a product, and product information stored (or stored) in the IC chip is read in a non-contact manner at the time of settlement (for example, a patent) Reference 1). Also, a product delivery system that provides a customer identification number and a shopping cart identification number, stores the data by associating it with the product to be purchased including the customer address, product delivery destination, and settlement method, and delivering the product. Is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2). In addition, a non-contact readable / writable IC chip is provided in the shopping basket, and information such as a customer's credit card is stored in the IC to perform authentication processing. At the time of payment, the authentication result is confirmed and cashless payment is performed. A POS operation system or the like is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-132427 (page 3, FIG. 1) JP 2002-279038 A (Page 5-6, FIG. 1) JP 2001-283325 A (page 5, FIG. 1)

  The prior art as described above has several problems. For example, when an IC chip is mounted on the packaging of all products, the reading accuracy is lowered when there are a plurality of products. Further, since the IC chip is made disposable, an increase in manufacturing cost and environmental problems occur. Furthermore, if the amount of processing data increases and the number of customers increases, it takes labor and time for delivery. In addition, payment processing efficiency can be improved by simplifying the exchange of money at the time of checkout and credit card authentication processing. There is a risk of leakage of personal information.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and eliminates or reduces such problems, particularly without requiring the handling of privacy information such as customer identification numbers, addresses, and credit information. The main object of the present invention is to provide a settlement method and system for an atypical product that enables an efficient settlement process without requiring an operation for confirming the quantity of the atypical product that requires processing.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the settlement method and system for an atypical product according to the present invention employs the following characteristic configuration.

(1) In the payment system for atypical products, where the customer selects the desired product from the atypical products displayed on the sales floor of a retail store, etc.
A housing member that incorporates a wireless communication tag (RFID tag) and temporarily stores a product selected by a customer;
RFID tag writing means for writing product information of an atypical product selected by the customer and stored in the storage member into an RFID tag of the storage member;
And RFID tag reading means for reading data recorded in the RFID tag of the receiving member in the checkout counter,
A scale unit for weighing the products to be sold by weight of the atypical items in the checkout counter,
Equipped with a,
A table capable of simultaneously placing a plurality of the accommodating members at the checkout station;
This table is formed with a recess or V-shaped part on which the accommodation member can be placed,
The antenna of the RFID tag reading means is disposed on a surface of the concave portion or the V-shaped portion.
Payment system for non-standard products.

(2) The RFID tag writing means is provided in the sales floor for the non-standard product, and enables product information to be written to the RFID tag of the housing member when a product is selected by a customer .
The above ( 1) atypical product checkout system.

( 3 ) The non-standard product checkout system according to ( 1 ) or ( 2 ) above, comprising a store server that transmits product information to the RDID tag writing means as needed.

(4) the housing member is a shopping basket (1) to any of the settlement system of atypical items (3).

  According to the settlement method and system for an atypical product of the present invention, the following remarkable effects in practical use can be obtained. First, since the operator of the POS terminal device does not count the quantity of atypical products, it is only necessary to check the actual product (the product selected by the customer and put into the shopping basket etc.). Can be greatly improved. Secondly, the product information of the non-standard product is processed locally by the IC chip without being processed in real time via the store server, so that the load on the store server is not increased. Thirdly, since it is not necessary to wrap each item individually in order to attach a price tag, it is possible to reduce the amount of garbage. Fourth, since atypical products with many products whose freshness is important are sold quickly or in a timely manner, it is easy to change prices such as applying discount prices.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a preferred embodiment of the method and system for adjusting atypical goods according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of an atypical product settlement system according to the present invention. This non-standard product checkout system (hereinafter also referred to simply as a checkout system) 10 is preferably a radio communication tag (RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tag) that is placed in each sales floor 20 and can be operated by a customer. An RFID read / write (R / W) device 21, a POS terminal device 32, an RFID read / write unit 34, and an RFID read / write device 36 are displayed at a checkout office 30, a store server 40, and a sales floor 20, and are sold to a customer. It comprises a shopping basket or shopping cart (hereinafter referred to as a shopping basket) 70 that selects and temporarily stores a product desired by a customer among the non-standardized products 60.

  Here, the RFID read / write device 21 of the sales floor 20, the POS terminal device 32 and the RFID read / write device 36 of the checkout office 30, and the store server 40 are interconnected by an in-store network 50. Then, necessary product information is transmitted from the store server 40 to the RFID read / write devices 21 and 36 via a network 50 without a store in a timely manner (for example, in the morning of a business day) and is sent to an internal memory (storage device) (not shown). In contrast, it is downloaded. Further, for example, the merchandise information changed, such as discount, is transmitted to the store server 40 or the RFID read / write device 36 of the checkout office 30 from the RFID read / write device 21 of the sales floor 20 via the in-store network 50, for example. To do.

  As described above, the shopping basket 70 is a container that temporarily stores the atypical product 60 selected by the customer. However, this shopping basket 70 differs from a general shopping basket in that it incorporates an RFID tag (not shown) of a desired shape on a card or the like. Here, the RFID tag of the shopping basket 70 may be fixedly provided on the side surface or the bottom surface of the shopping basket 70, or may be detachably attached to a predetermined appropriate position.

  Next, the non-standard product settlement method according to the present invention, which is the operation of the non-standard product settlement system 10 shown in FIG. 1, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, it is assumed that a customer visits a retail store, selects a product from the atypical products 60 displayed on the sales floor 20, and desires to purchase. The customer writes the product information of one or more atypical products 60 selected by the customer by a method described later to the RFID tag that is the IC chip of the shopping basket 70 (steps A1 to A3). Note that writing of product information to the RFID tag built in the shopping basket 70 may be performed for all the products selected by the customer as shown in FIG. 2, or may be performed for each selected product. .

  Next, the customer moves the shopping basket 70 containing the atypical product 60 selected by the customer to the checkout office 30 (step A4). At the checkout station 30, merchandise information (data) written on the RFID tag of the shopping basket 70 is obtained by an RFID reading unit 34 having an antenna (not shown in FIG. 1) connected to a POS terminal device 32 by a store clerk. Read (step A5).

  The product information read by the RFID read / write unit 34 is sent to the POS terminal device 32 and displayed on its display (not shown in FIG. 1). The displayed product information includes, for example, a product name, number, price, and the like. Therefore, the store clerk collates the product information displayed on the display with the actual product in the shopping basket 70, that is, confirms the actual product (step A6). In the unlikely event that a product other than the product displayed in the shopping basket 70 or a product exceeding the displayed number is included, for example, it is read by the RFID read / write device 36 or the keyboard of the POS terminal device 32 (in FIG. 1). (Not shown) is subjected to correction processing by an operation (step A7).

  When the actual item confirmation is OK or when the above-described correction process is completed, a settlement process is performed (step A8). This settlement process is performed with cash or a credit card. Finally, the information of the RFID tag built in the shopping basket 70 is deleted (step A9), and the settlement process is terminated (step A10). As a result, the shopping basket 70 can be used by other customers.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the POS terminal device 32 having the RFID read / write unit 34 in the non-standard product checkout system 10 shown in FIG. The POS terminal device 32 is mounted on a metal table 12, for example. The POS terminal device 32 has a keyboard 321 and a display 322. The POS terminal device 32 is connected to an antenna 341 and a scale unit 38 that form a part of the RFID read / write unit 34.

  The antenna 341 is provided in the vicinity of the place where the shopping basket 70 is placed on the table 12. The scale unit 38 measures the weight of the non-standard product 60 to be weighed and sold and inputs it to the POS terminal device 32. The keyboard 321 has a plurality of product name keys 321a, a numeric keypad 321b for inputting a quantity, and function keys 321c such as cancel and confirm, as an example of which is enlarged and displayed in FIG.

  Note that the RFID read / write device 21 arranged in the sales floor 20 may also be configured as shown in FIG. A case where a customer selectively purchases a vegetable which is an atypical product using such an apparatus will be described. The product name key 321a of the keyboard 321 is operated, and the names of vegetables desired to be purchased, such as potato, onion, cucumber,. When purchasing a plurality, the corresponding numeric key on the numeric keypad 321b is pressed. Then, looking at the product information displayed on the display 322, if the customer desires, the “determine” key in the function key 321c is pressed, and if not desired, the “cancel” key is pressed. The product for which the customer has pressed the “confirm” key is stored in the shopping basket 70. When the input of all the non-standard products 60 desired by the customer is completed, the product information is written in the RFID tag of the shopping basket 70 by the antenna 341 of the RFID read / write unit 34 provided adjacent to the shopping basket 70.

  As described above, the product is selected by the customer and accommodated in the shopping cart 70, and the product information (that is, the product name, quantity, price, etc.) is recorded in the RFID tag of the shopping cart 70, and the product moves to the checkout station 30. . Then, as described above, the checkout 30 receives the actual product confirmation, and the POS terminal device 32 performs the checkout process.

  In the checkout process at the checkout station 30, the record data of the RFID tag of the shopping basket 70 arranged in the vicinity thereof is read by the antenna 321 of the RFID reading unit 34 connected to the POS terminal device 32 as described above. The data is sent to the POS terminal device 32. However, the RFID read / write unit 341 has a predetermined reading area because it is wirelessly contactless. On the table 12, in addition to the customer's shopping basket 70 that is being settled, the next customer's shopping basket 70 may be placed. Therefore, it is necessary to reliably read the product information of only the RFID tag of the customer's shopping basket 70 during the checkout process, and to prevent the RFID tag information of the other customer's shopping basket 70 from being erroneously read (that is, interference). There is.

FIG. 4 shows a device for correctly reading the product information of the RFID tag of the customer's shopping basket 70 during the checkout process. In FIG. 4A, a recess (or recess) 121 is formed in a part of the table 12, and the antenna 341 of the RFID reading unit 34 is disposed on the side surface of the recess 121. The antenna 341 reliably reads the product information of the RFID tag provided at a predetermined position, for example, the side surface or the bottom surface of the shopping basket 70 due to its directivity. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 4B, a substantially V-shaped portion 122 is formed on the table 12, an antenna 341 is disposed on the surface of the V-shaped portion 122, and the shopping basket 70 disposed at an inclination is arranged. For example, product information stored in an RFID tag provided on the bottom surface is read.

  In the above description, the shopping basket 70 includes the RFID tag, but the RFID tag of the shopping basket 70 does not necessarily need to be fixedly provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a stick-like RFID tag 80 detachably attached to a predetermined position of the shopping basket 70 may be used. Thus, by providing the RFID tag detachably on the shopping basket 70, for example, when the RFID tag is damaged, quick replacement is facilitated. The RFID tag 80 attached to the shopping basket 70 is a customer-specific RFID tag, and it is possible to write point information obtained by shopping at the store by the RFID read / write unit 34 at the checkout office 30. And when this point becomes a predetermined fixed point, it is possible to service a predetermined product or give a fixed discount privilege.

  The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the method and system for adjusting an atypical product according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, such an example is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the payment system of an atypical product by this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the payment system of an atypical product shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the specific example of the POS terminal device and related apparatus of the payment system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of merchandise information reading which prevents the interference of the RFID tag of a shopping basket in a checkout place. It is a figure which shows the example of stick-shaped RFID attached to a shopping basket.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Settlement system of non-standard goods 12 Table 20 Sales floor 21, 36 RFID read / write device 30 Checkout point 32 POS terminal device 34 RFID read / write unit 40 Store server 60 Non-standard product 70 Shopping basket

Claims (4)

In the checkout system for atypical products, the customer selects the desired product from the atypical products displayed on the sales floor of a retail store, etc.
A housing member that incorporates a wireless communication tag (RFID tag) and temporarily stores a product selected by a customer;
RFID tag writing means for writing product information of an atypical product selected by the customer and stored in the storage member into an RFID tag of the storage member;
And RFID tag reading means for reading data recorded in the RFID tag of the receiving member in the checkout counter,
A scale unit for weighing the products to be sold by weight of the atypical items in the checkout counter,
Equipped with a,
A table capable of simultaneously placing a plurality of the accommodating members at the checkout station;
This table is formed with a recess or V-shaped part on which the accommodation member can be placed,
The antenna of the RFID tag reading means is disposed on a surface of the concave portion or the V-shaped portion,
Payment system for non-standard products. The RFID tag writing means is provided at the sales floor of the atypical product, and enables product information to be written to the RFID tag of the housing member when a product is selected by a customer.
The settlement system for an atypical product according to claim 1. A store server for transmitting product information to the RDID tag writing means as needed;
A settlement system for an atypical product according to claim 1 or 2. The housing member is a shopping basket;
A settlement system for an atypical product according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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