JP6392939B2 - counter - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a counter.

  Conventionally, in a counter such as a convenience store, a pharmacy, a bookstore, etc., a counter for installing a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, which is an accounting device, has a baggage storage for a customer who pays money temporarily during the accounting. The part is provided to project to the customer side.

  In addition, when a POS terminal installed in a face-to-face counter is paused in a store of a face-to-face counter such as a convenience store, a pharmacy, or a bookstore, a guide plate indicating that the POS terminal is in a rest is placed on the face-to-face counter. . According to such a guide plate, it is possible to provide a display that is easy to understand at a glance for customers.

  However, when the above-described guide plate is used in a store, there is a problem that the guide plate is only an obstacle when there is no place during operation of the POS terminal.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to replace a luggage storage unit used for putting a customer's baggage while the accounting apparatus is in operation, instead of a guide plate for notifying the customer when the accounting apparatus is suspended. It is to provide a counter that can be used.

The counter according to the embodiment is provided with a counter body on which an accounting apparatus is placed and provided with a counter surface on which an article is placed, which is provided in parallel with the accounting apparatus; A plate-like luggage storage section that is long in the width direction of the accounting apparatus having a luggage storage surface for placing the baggage of the customer at the time of accounting in The shape is made to continuously protrude toward the customer side, and is provided from the placement position of the accounting device to the position of the counter surface .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a counter on which a POS terminal according to the embodiment is placed as viewed from the operator side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the counter as viewed from the customer side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a support mechanism of the luggage storage portion. FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a support mechanism of the luggage storage portion. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a luggage storage unit that moves in position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the counter viewed from the customer side when the luggage storage portion is positioned in the vertical position.

  The present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an example in which a counter on which a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal 1 as an accounting apparatus is placed is applied. The POS terminal 1 is used at a counter of a counter, such as a convenience store, a pharmacy, and a bookstore, and is a terminal that is operated by an operator called a cashier to perform a checkout operation.

  Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the counter 10 on which the POS terminal 1 according to the embodiment is placed as seen from the operator side, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the counter 10 as seen from the customer side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the POS terminal 1 is installed on a counter 10.

  The counter main body 10a that is the main body of the counter 10 includes a top plate 11 that constitutes a counter surface on which articles such as shopping baskets and merchandise are placed, and an installation portion 12 that is a part of the top plate 11 cut out. The counter body 10a includes a plurality of shelf plates 14 and 15 on the operator side. The POS terminal 1 is installed on the shelf plate 14 positioned at the uppermost stage in the installation unit 12 with the upper portion exposed from the top plate 11. Further, a card reader / writer 30 for reading and writing information on a point card or the like is installed on the shelf plate 14 positioned at the uppermost position below the top plate 11.

  Next, the POS terminal 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the POS terminal 1 includes a keyboard 50, an operator-side display 60, a customer-side display 70, a printer 80, a non-contact card reader / writer 100, and a main body 40 incorporating a control unit (not shown). An automatic change machine 110 is provided. The POS terminal 1 also includes a scanner 90 as shown in FIG.

  The main body 40 is covered with an exterior cover 42. The exterior cover 42 has a vertex 41 that is located farthest from the top plate 11 in a state in which the POS terminal 1 is installed on the installation unit 12 of the counter 10, and is a round shape that is inclined from the vertex 41 to the front-rear direction It is. An operator-side display 60 and a keyboard 50 are sequentially arranged from the vertex 41 toward the operator side from the vertex 41 of the exterior cover 42 to the operator side. On the other hand, the customer side display 70 and the non-contact card reader / writer 100 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the exterior cover 42 from the apex 41 of the exterior cover 42 to the customer side. That is, the exterior cover 42 protrudes with the gap between the upper side of the operator side display 60 and the upper side of the customer side display 70 as a vertex 41, and both ends of the exterior cover 42 are curved toward the operator side or the customer side with the vertex 41 as the upper end. It has a shape.

  Further, a printer 80 and an automatic change machine 110 are disposed below the outer cover 42. The main body of the printer 80 is housed inside the exterior cover 42, and the receipt discharge port 81 is exposed to the outside of the exterior cover 42. Further, the main body of the automatic change machine 110 is also housed inside the exterior cover 42, and a coin receiving port 131, a coin payout port 132, and a bill insertion / exit port 121 described later are exposed to the outside of the exterior cover 42.

  In addition, the exterior cover 42 includes a scanner base 91 on which the scanner 90 is placed at a position aligned with the operator-side display 60 in the width direction of the exterior cover 42. Further, the exterior cover 42 includes the money placement unit 20 at a position aligned with the keyboard 50 in the width direction of the exterior cover 42 and connected to the scanner base 91 toward the operator side. The money placing unit 20 is linearly connected to the coin receiving port 131 of the coin depositing / dispensing apparatus 130 that deposits / withdraws coins according to the sales registration process, and inserts coins into the coin receiving port 131. It is possible.

  Since the scanner table 91 and the money placement unit 20 are connected to each other, the scanner table 91 is also used as a place for placing money when the scanner 90 is not placed on the scanner table 91. be able to. That is, the scanner table 91 is temporarily used as a place where money is placed without placing the scanner 90 when there are many banknotes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the exterior cover 42 of the POS terminal 1 has a round shape and has a structure that does not give a complicated image because there are few uneven portions. Further, since the exterior cover 42 of the POS terminal 1 has few uneven portions, it can be easily cleaned. Furthermore, since the exterior cover 42 of the POS terminal 1 has a round shape, if a product or money is placed on a portion other than the money placement unit 20, it slips down. Prevents money from being placed.

  The operator-side display 60 is a display that displays an image for the operator, and displays information related to the merchandise sales registration process. The customer-side display 70 is a display that displays images for customers, and displays information related to product sales. Information relating to product sales includes, for example, campaign information, discount information, sale information, message information, and the like. Moreover, the operator side display 60 and the customer side display 70 may include a touch panel.

  The operator side display 60 is disposed to be tilted to the operator side so that the operator image is upright. The customer-side display 70 is disposed tilted toward the customer side so that the customer image is upright. As described above, the operator-side display 60 and the customer-side display 70 are tilted and arranged to improve visibility.

  The height from the top 11 to the apex 41 depends on the tilt angle of the operator side display 60 and the tilt angle of the customer side display 70, but the operator and the customer hand goods or money on the POS terminal 1. The total height is limited to the height at which it is possible.

  The gap between the upper side of the operator-side display 60 and the upper side of the customer-side display 70 is equal to or smaller than the diameter of the coins, making it difficult to place coins and commodities. In addition, the gap may make it difficult to place coins or commodities depending on the shape of the surface. In the present embodiment, the surface of the gap is a curved surface.

  The keyboard 50 is disposed adjacent to and below the operator side display 60. The keyboard 50 includes various keys used for input operations. For example, a numeric key or a closing key.

  The printer 80 is a receipt printer used for printing receipts and receipts. The scanner 90 is a movable handy scanner that optically reads product information such as a product code attached to a product in the form of a code symbol. The contactless card reader / writer 100 establishes wireless communication with the contactless IC card and reads / writes information from / to the contactless IC card. As an example, the non-contact IC card can store and save electronic money having a value equivalent to cash.

  The automatic change machine 110 includes a coin deposit / withdrawal device 130 for depositing / withdrawing coins C (see FIG. 2) and a bill depositing / dispensing device 120 for depositing / withdrawing bills (not shown).

  The coin depositing / dispensing apparatus 130 has a coin receiving port 131 that receives a coin C falling from above, and a coin paying port 132 that pays out the coin C. The coin receiving port 131 and the coin payout port 132 are exposed to the outside of the exterior cover 42. The coin receiving port 131 opens upward.

  The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus 130 stores the coins C received at the coin receiving port 131 separately for each denomination. Then, the coin deposit / withdrawal device 130 pays out the stored coin C to the coin payout outlet 132 as change based on the change data.

  The banknote deposit / withdrawal device 120 has a banknote slot 121. The bill entry / exit 121 is exposed to the outside of the exterior cover 42. The banknote deposit / withdrawal device 120 stores the banknotes received at the banknote deposit / eject port 121 separately for each denomination. And the banknote depositing / withdrawing apparatus 120 pays out the banknote accommodated in the inside to the banknote entrance / exit 121 as change based on change data.

  Note that the coin payout / outlet 132 of the coin deposit / withdrawal device 130 is disposed between the coin inlet / outlet 131 and the banknote inlet / outlet 121 in the left-right direction (width direction) of the automatic change machine 110.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the control unit includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a time measuring unit, which are connected via a bus line. . The above-described card reader / writer 30, keyboard 50, operator side display 60, customer side display 70, printer 80, scanner 90, non-contact card reader / writer 100, automatic change machine 110, etc. are connected to the CPU via a bus line. ing. In addition, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and a communication interface are connected to the CPU via a bus line. The HDD stores a product master file for storing product information such as a product name and a unit price for each product code, a sales file for storing sales data, and the like in addition to a program for operating the CPU.

  The control unit (CPU) performs merchandise sales registration processing according to the program. For example, the control unit receives an input of a product code read by the scanner 90 and an input of a sales amount from the keyboard 50, and reads product information corresponding to the received product code from the product master file. Next, the control unit generates sales data indicating the sales record of the product based on the product information read from the product master file and the sales volume of the product, and stores the sales data in a storage unit such as a RAM or an HDD. , Register the product for sale. Then, when the closing key of the keyboard 50 is operated, the control unit sends change data relating to the change to the automatic change machine 110 so as to pay out the change, and creates receipt information of the merchandise registered for sale. A receipt based on the information is printed and issued by the printer 80.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a plate-like shape on the customer side, below the top plate 11 constituting the counter surface of the counter 10 on which the POS terminal 1 is placed, is used by the customer to place his / her baggage during checkout. A luggage storage unit 200 is provided.

  Here, the attachment structure of the luggage storage part 200 with respect to the counter 10 is explained in full detail. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the support mechanism 210 of the luggage storage section 200, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing the support mechanism 210 of the luggage storage section 200, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the position of the luggage storage section 200 that moves. It is. FIG. 4 shows only one support mechanism 210 positioned on the left side when the counter 10 is viewed from above the customer side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a flat fixed plate 411 parallel to the luggage placing surface 200 a that is a part of the luggage placing portion 200 is built in the lower end portion of the luggage placing portion 200 (portion close to the counter 10). Yes. The fixing plate 411 is fixed in position with respect to the luggage placing portion 200 by screws (not shown). A side plate 412a is provided on the left side of the fixed plate 411 when viewed from the customer side. Similarly, a side plate 412b is provided on the right side of the fixed plate 411 when viewed from the customer side. The side plates 412a and 412b are perpendicular to the fixed plate 411, respectively. A support shaft 413a extending sideways is integrally provided on the outer surface of the side plate 412a (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  On the outer surface of the side plate 412b, a support shaft 413b (see FIG. 5 and the like) extending sideways is integrally provided. The support shafts 413a and 413b are concentric with each other and have an axial direction parallel to the surface direction of the luggage placing surface 200a. Hereinafter, the support shaft 413a and the support shaft 413b may be collectively referred to as the support shaft 413. The support shafts 413a and 413b protrude toward the fixed plate 411 from the side plates 412a and 412b, respectively. Caps 415a and 415b covering the protruding portions of the support shafts 413a and 413b are attached to the side plates 412a and 412b. About the counter 10, the shaft support part 414a is being fixed to the upper surface of the left side part seeing from the customer side. Similarly, a shaft support portion 414b is fixed to the upper surface of the right portion when viewed from the customer side. The shaft support portions 414a and 414b hold the support shafts 413a and 413b, respectively, so as to be rotatable. Accordingly, the luggage storage unit 200 can be moved between a horizontal position where the luggage storage surface 200a is horizontal as shown in FIG. 3 and a vertical position (FIG. 5) where the luggage storage surface 200a is moved in the direction of the arrow D. It is supported. The counter 10 is provided with a stopper (not shown). The stopper abuts against the luggage storage section 200 to restrict the position movement of the luggage storage section 200, and positions the luggage storage section 200 in a horizontal position. That is, the fixed plate 411, the side plates 412a and 412b, the support shafts 413a and 413b, the shaft support portions 414a and 414b, and the stopper constitute the support mechanism 401.

  A torsion spring 511a is provided as an elastic member on the left side of the side plate 412a when viewed from the customer side. A torsion spring 511b is provided as an elastic member on the right side of the side plate 412b as viewed from the customer side. The torsion spring 511a has an arm 521a extending laterally and an arm 522a extending upward as both end portions thereof. The torsion spring 511a accumulates a repulsive force by bringing the arm 521a and the arm 522a close to each other, and the torsion spring 511a is restored to the open state by releasing the closed state. The torsion spring 511b has the same structure as the torsion spring 511a. Hereinafter, the torsion spring 511a and the torsion spring 511b may be collectively referred to as a torsion spring 511.

  In a state where the luggage storage portion 200 is positioned at the horizontal position, the opening / closing center that is the center of the inner diameter of the torsion spring 511a on the left side when viewed from the customer side is concentric with the support shaft 413a (see FIG. 4). Is provided. The torsion spring 511a is provided in such a direction that the arm 522a closes in the direction of arrow C. The arm 521a is held by an arm holding part 512a which is a part of the shaft support part 414a. The arm pressing portion 513a is provided on the luggage storage surface 200a side with respect to the side plate 412a. As shown in FIG. 4, when the luggage storage part 200 is positioned in the horizontal position, the arm 522a and the arm pressing part 513a are in contact with each other.

  The same applies to the right side when viewed from the customer side in a state where the luggage storage unit 200 is positioned at the horizontal position, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Further, when the load storage unit 200 moves from the horizontal position to the vertical position in the direction of the arrow D, the contact between the arm pressing unit 513a and the arm 522a is released. That is, no pressing force is applied to the arm 522a of the torsion spring 511a, the position thereof is unchanged, and no repulsive force is accumulated in the torsion spring 511a. On the other hand, at this time, the arm (not shown) of the right torsion spring 511b as viewed from the customer side is pressed by an arm pressing portion (not shown) and closed in the direction of arrow D, and the torsion spring 511b accumulates repulsive force. To do. The load storage unit 200 is pressed in the direction from the vertical position toward the horizontal position by the accumulated repulsive force. Here, the pressing mechanism 501 is realized.

  Thereby, the luggage storage part 200 can hold | maintain a position in the arbitrary positions between a vertical position and a horizontal position. Such position holding is realized by a position holding mechanism 601 (see FIG. 4). The support mechanism 401, the pressing mechanism 501, and the position holding mechanism 601 constitute the support mechanism 210.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft support portion 414 a included in the support mechanism 401 is mainly configured by a hollow cylindrical portion 441 a that opens toward the fixed plate 411. The hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 441a includes a first hollow portion 442a on the opening side, and a second hollow portion 444a separated from the first hollow portion 442a by a valve 443a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 441a. , Is composed of. A disc portion 445a having a slightly smaller diameter than the inner periphery (second hollow portion 444a) of the cylindrical portion 441a is provided integrally with the support shaft 413a at the tip of the support shaft 413a extending from the side plate 412a. The disc part 445a is accommodated in the second hollow part 444a. The disk part 445a is restricted from moving to the first hollow part 442a by contacting the valve 443a. The disk portion 445a is pressed against the valve 443a by a first leaf spring 611a and a second leaf spring 612a described later. In this way, the support shaft 413a is supported by the shaft support portion 414a. The support mechanism 401 positioned on the right side when the POS terminal 1 is viewed from the customer side has the same configuration.

  The torsion spring 511a included in the pressing mechanism 501 is wound around the cylindrical portion 441a of the shaft support portion 414a. The arm 522a has a direction along the winding direction of the torsion spring 511a. The tip of the arm 521a is bent in an L shape from the winding direction of the torsion spring 511a. An arm hole 541a penetrating in the axial direction of the support shaft 413a is formed in the arm holding portion 512a which is a part of the shaft support portion 414a. The arm 521a bent in an L shape is inserted into the arm hole 541a. In this way, the arm 521a is held by the arm holding portion 512a. The pressing mechanism 501 located on the right side when the POS terminal 1 is viewed from the customer side has the same configuration.

  The position holding mechanism 601 includes, in the second hollow portion 444a, a first leaf spring 611a that is curved in an arc as a first contact member, and a second leaf spring 612a that is curved in an arc as a second contact member. And have. Both the first leaf spring 611a and the second leaf spring 612a have elasticity. The first leaf spring 611a and the second leaf spring 612a are arranged to face each other and abut against each other at the curved portion. Both end portions of the first leaf spring 611 a are in contact with a disk portion 445 a that is also a part of the luggage storage portion 200. Both end portions of the second leaf spring 612a are in contact with the cylindrical portion 441a. The second leaf spring 612a presses the first leaf spring 611a in the axial direction of the support shaft 413a. By this pressing, contact friction is generated between the first leaf spring 611a and the second leaf spring 612a. Due to the generated contact friction, the display unit 9a is held at an arbitrary position between the vertical position and the inclined position. Here, a position holding mechanism 601 is realized. The position holding mechanism 601 positioned on the right side when the POS terminal 1 is viewed from the customer side has the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the luggage placement unit 200 moves around the support shaft 413 (support shafts 413 a and 413 b) and is held at an arbitrary position.

  Here, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the counter 10 viewed from the customer side when the luggage storage unit 200 is positioned in the vertical position. As shown in FIG. 6, when the luggage storage surface 200 a is positioned in the vertical position, the luggage storage unit 200 is configured such that at least a part of the POS terminal 1 placed on the counter 10 overlaps with the luggage storage part 200. It is provided at a position where at least a part of the terminal 1 is blocked from the visual sense of the customer. When the luggage storage unit 200 provided in such a position is positioned in the vertical position, at least a part of the POS terminal 1 is blocked from the visual sense of the customer by the luggage storage unit 200. It is possible to recognize that the POS terminal 1 is at rest.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, a predetermined message M that can be visually recognized by the customer in a state of being positioned in the vertical position is displayed and displayed on the surface 200b opposite to the load storage surface 200a of the load storage unit 200. Here, the displayed predetermined message M is, for example, a message indicating that the POS terminal 1 is at rest. In this way, the customer can surely recognize that the POS terminal 1 is at rest.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the predetermined message M is described and displayed on the surface 200 b opposite to the luggage storage surface 200 a of the luggage storage unit 200, but is not limited thereto. For example, a display unit (not shown) such as an organic EL (electroluminescence) display is provided on the surface 200b opposite to the load storage surface 200a of the luggage storage unit 200, and this display unit is a predetermined message M (for example, the POS terminal 1). May be displayed). When displaying on the display unit in this way, various advertisement messages can be displayed as the predetermined message M.

  In addition, the support mechanism 210 of the luggage storage unit 200 may automatically position the POS terminal 1 from the horizontal position to the vertical position in response to the pause signal transmitted from the POS terminal 1 when the POS terminal 1 is paused. good. Further, the support mechanism 210 of the luggage storage unit 200 may be automatically positioned from the vertical position to the horizontal position in response to the activation signal transmitted from the POS terminal 1 when the POS terminal 1 is activated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the plate-shaped luggage storage portion 200 having the luggage storage surface 200a for placing the customer's baggage at the time of payment in the POS terminal 1 is the front side of the counter 10 and the counter surface is configured. In addition to being provided below the top plate 11 to be supported, the luggage storage part 200 is supported so as to be movable between a horizontal position and a vertical position. As a result, a predetermined message M (for example, a message indicating that the POS terminal 1 is not operating) is displayed on the luggage storage unit 200, or the luggage storage unit 200 in which at least a part of the POS terminal 1 is positioned in the vertical position. When the POS terminal 1 is suspended while the POS terminal 1 is in operation, the luggage storage unit 200 that is used to put the customer's baggage is placed during the operation of the POS terminal 1. It can be used instead of a guide board to inform the customer of that fact.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Accounting apparatus 10 Counter 10a Counter main body 11 Top plate 200 Luggage storage part 200a Luggage storage surface 210 Support mechanism

JP 2011-108290 A

Claims (5)

A counter body having a counter surface on which an accounting apparatus is placed and an article is placed side by side with the accounting apparatus ;
A plate-like luggage storage section that is provided in front of the counter body on the customer side and has a luggage storage surface for placing a customer's baggage at the time of accounting in the accounting apparatus;
With
The luggage storage part has a shape that continuously protrudes toward the center from both peripheral parts in the width direction, and is provided from the placement position of the accounting device to the position of the counter surface .
A counter characterized by that. A horizontal position to position said package rest surface in a position parallel to the front Symbol counter surface, each position the parcel placing portion between a vertical position to position said package rest surface at a position perpendicular to the counter surface support Organization for movably supporting,
Further provided,
The luggage storage unit displays a predetermined message on a surface opposite to the luggage storage surface.
The counter according to claim 1. The luggage storage unit includes a display unit on a surface opposite to the luggage storage surface,
The display unit displays the predetermined message when the luggage storage surface is positioned in a vertical position;
The counter according to claim 2. The predetermined message is a message indicating that the accounting apparatus is suspended.
The counter according to claim 2 or 3, wherein The luggage storage unit is configured such that when the luggage storage surface is positioned in a vertical position, at least a part of the accounting device mounted on the counter body overlaps the luggage storage unit as viewed from the front side of the customer. ,
The counter according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that:

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