JPH03273489A - Automatic merchandise vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reliably achieve an operation by an operator by providing cart housing sections which house at least two carts which opening the sections to the customer side of a main body case of a scanning device and arranging them in a recessed form. CONSTITUTION:A customer places merchandises with bar codes on a cart 26 and inserts the cart 26 into a cart housing portion 22 in which an empty cart 26 is previously inserted so as to perform the settlement of accounts by the operator 21. The position thereof is located at the left side of a main body case 20. Namely, looking from the operator 21 side, the cart 26 is located at the right side. At this time, the cart housing portion 22 of the main body case 20 is recessed and opened to the customer side, so that the cart 26 can be easily inserted. Even when the cart 26 is violently treated, it only collides with the main body case 20 and does not collide with the operator 21. Thus, the operator can work with safety.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product vending device equipped with a scanner for reading barcodes provided on products. .

2. Description of the Related Art In general, supermarkets and the like sell a large amount of products in a short period of time by reading barcodes attached to products, and are able to compile various data on the products sold.

In a system that employs such a sales method, the present applicant has proposed a system that allows customers to check out products while they are still loaded in a cart.
No. 7995 proposes and implements one method. That is, the structure will be explained based on FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyance path determined to have a length to continuously convey two carts 2. This conveyance path 1 connects the lower ends of opposing cart guides 3 and 4 with a connecting plate 5, and connects one side of the cart guides 3 and 4 with an inverted U-shaped vibro whose height is higher than that of the cart 2. One cart guide 3 has the length of two carts 2, but the other cart guide 4 has a short length. A columnar support 7 is fixed to the center of one of the cart guides 3, and this support 7 has a scanner 9 having a reading window 8 on the front, a checker display 10, and a customer display. 11 is installed,
A keyboard 12 is held at the top of the casing of the scanner 9. Further, on the extension surface 13 extending from one end of the connecting plate 5, a stand 15 on which a cash register 14 is placed is provided.
is located. The scanner 9 is located inside the transport path 1 and above the cart 2. Furthermore, the display 10 is located on the loading side of the scanner 9 and is mounted on a support 7.
is maintained.

In such a configuration, FIG. 5 shows a state in which an empty cart 2 is sent to the discharge side of the conveyance path 1, and a customer 18 sends a cart 2 containing products to the carry-in side of the conveyance path 1.

In this state, the products in Cart 2 on the carry-in side are
16, the product data is read by the scanner 9 during the process of passing through the front side of the reading window 8 and being stored in the cart 2 on the carry-out side. For products that do not have data such as barcodes attached, input is made using the keyboard 12. On the other hand, the customer 18 who is currently paying the bill moves to the cashier 17 and waits for payment, and when the customer 18 has finished checking out all the items in one cart 2, the customer 18 receives the total amount charged by the cashier 17. After payment, the cart 2 sent out from the delivery side of the transport path 1 is picked up by the checker 16 and moved to a predetermined packaging location. After this, the checker 16
The empty cart 2 is sent to the carry-in side of the transport path 1, and the cart 2 waits for the next customer 18 to send the cart 2 containing goods to the carry-in side of the transport path 1. Therefore, the carts 2 can be sequentially circulated as part of the checkout operation. Further, the cart 2 for taking out products and the cart 2 for storing products are continuous in the conveyance path 1, and the scanner 9, keyboard 12, and display 10 are located inside the conveyance path 1 without interfering with the conveyance of the cart 2. The product can be moved in front of the reading window 8 with a small movement, or the keyboard 12 can be operated, thereby reducing the effort of the checker 16. can be reduced. Furthermore, the checker 16 needs to confirm the location of the product when taking out the product from the cart 2 on the carry-in side rather than when storing the product in the cart 2 on the carry-out side after reading the product data. By arranging the display device 10 on the loading side of the scanner 9,
The data of the previously read product can be confirmed on the display 10 along the line of sight that searches for the next product to be read from the cart 2 located on the carry-in side, and this allows the user to greatly change the direction of the line of sight. This can alleviate eye fatigue and improve the efficiency of checkout operations.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Although the conventional method has various features as described above, when a customer transports a cart,
It is not clear where to move the cart. Additionally, there is a risk that the cart may collide with the operator. Furthermore, the movement of the customer is troublesome because the cart must be handed over to the operator and then turned around to face the operator.

Means for Solving the Problems A scanning device is provided with a support for supporting a scanner located between an operator and a customer, and at least two carts are stored on the customer side of a main body case of the scanning device. The storage section was opened to the customer and formed in a concave shape.

The cart can be moved by targeting the cart storage area formed in the shape of a working recess, making it easy to move the cart with a clear target.Furthermore, since the main body case of the scanning device acts as a guard for the operator, the cart can be moved easily. The operator can be protected even if the machine is handled roughly, and the customer only needs to be located on the customer side of the main body case, so the flow line is approximately straight and it is easy to move.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 3. First, the scanning device 19 has a main body case 20, and the operator 21 side of the main body case 20 is approximately linear, and the customer side is formed with a cart storage section 22 that is open in the shape of a recess. This cart storage section 22 is set to a size that can accommodate at least two carts, which will be described later. And, in the main body case 20,
An arm-shaped support body 23 is provided with its left and right sides hanging apart, and a scanner 25 is attached approximately in the middle of this support body 23 with a reading window 24 facing the operator 21 side.

Further, reference numeral 26 is a cart provided for customers to place and transport products.

A product storage section 29 is formed on a base 28 with wheels 27, and a handle 30 is provided at one end.

Next, a cash register 31 is located on the side of the operator 21 and is formed separately from the main body case 20.
is provided.

In such a configuration, a customer places a product with a barcode on the cart 26 and moves the cart 26 to the operator 2.
Empty cart 2 in advance to enable checkout work in step 1.
6 is inserted into the cart storage section 22, and its position is on the left side of the main case 20. That is, when viewed from the operator 21, the cart 26 is located on the right side.

At this time, since the cart storage section 22 of the main body case 20 is shaped like a recess and is open to the customer, it is extremely easy to insert the cart 26 therein. Further, even if the cart 26 is handled roughly, it will only collide with the main body case 20 and will not collide with the operator 21. Therefore, the operator 21 can also work with peace of mind.

Therefore, the operator 21 takes out the product from the cart 26 on the right side, has the barcode read by the scanner 25, and stores the read product in the empty cart 26 on the left side. In addition, for products whose barcodes cannot be read, input is performed manually using keys.

When registration of all products is completed in this way, all the products are transferred to the cart 26 on the left side, and the cart 26 on the right side becomes empty. The customer then takes the cart 26 containing the products to the packing area. The operator 21 moves the empty cart 26 on the right side to the left side and waits for the next customer.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a scanning device equipped with a support for supporting a scanner located between an operator and a customer, and includes at least two carts on the customer side of the main body case of the scanning device. Since the cart storage area is opened to the customer and formed in the shape of a recess, the customer can move the cart aiming at the recessed cart storage area. In addition, since the main body case of the scanning device acts as a guard for the operator, the operator can be protected even if the cart is handled roughly. This has the effect that the line of movement becomes approximately straight, making it easier to move.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the conventional technology, and FIG. The figure is a plan view thereof. 19...Scanning device, 20...Body case,
2 ■... Operator, 22... Cart storage section, 23... Support body, 26... Cart'' Figure - Figure 5 (History L (J!J)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A scanning device equipped with a support for supporting a scanner located between an operator and a customer is provided, and a cart storage section in which at least two carts are stored is opened to the customer side on the customer side of the main body case of the scanning device. A product sales device characterized in that it is formed into a concave shape.