JPH06103462A - Check out counter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the working efficiency of sales job by positioning a shopping basket in its excellent state by providing a magnet sucking the magnetic member of the shopping basket in freely attachably and detachably in the vicinity of a commodities information recording part. CONSTITUTION:At a check out counter 14, two circular through holes 24, 25 are formed on the load on the receiving surface 16 of a sacker table 15 to be the right side and left side of a bar code scanner 4, and annular magnets 26, 27 are supported in freely movably in the vertical direction and rises and sets freely on the load receiving surface 16 of the sacker table 15 within each through holes 24, 25. In this check out counter 14, a registration processing is performed by arranging a shopping basket 43 storing commodities on the right side of the bar code scanner 4 and arranging an empty shopping basket 43 on the left side in the same way as a conventional check out counter and each of the shopping basket is fixedly positioned by the magnets 26, 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a checkout counter including a slender soccer stand on which a shopping cart brought by a customer is placed and sequentially conveyed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, in order to perform sales operations efficiently,
A checkout counter has been put into practical use in which a long and narrow soccer table is provided in parallel with the moving direction of the customer, and a shopping basket brought by the customer is placed on the load receiving surface of the soccer table and sequentially conveyed. More specifically, in such a checkout counter, a bar code scanner, which is a product information recording unit, is arranged in the central area of a soccer table that is long and narrow in the left-right direction with respect to a store clerk, and an electronic cash register is arranged near the left end. For example, a shopping cart brought by a customer is placed on the right side of the central area of the soccer table, an empty shopping cart is placed on the left side, and products taken out from the shopping cart on the right side are barcoded. After the registration process with the scanner, the products are registered by sequentially inserting them into the shopping basket on the left side. Then, in such a checkout counter, when the registration process is completed and all the products are put into the basket on the left side from the basket on the right side, the clerk executes the accounting process in the electronic cash register on the left end of the soccer table, After this, the left cart is emptied by the customer and the right cart is moved to the left by the clerk.

Here, in the above-mentioned check-out counter, in order to favorably perform the work such as the registration process with the bar code scanner, the shopping basket is stopped and fixedly arranged at a predetermined position of the soccer table. Is desirable. Therefore, a check-out counter, etc., in which the shopping cart has a concave-convex surface so that the shopping basket can be dropped into the recess, has been put into practical use, but this is not preferable because the workability when moving the shopping basket is poor. Absent.

Therefore, as a checkout counter for solving the above-mentioned problems, the applicant of the present invention discloses a checkout counter here.
The checkout counter disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-21480 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. First, in this checkout counter, a long and slender soccer table 1 is arranged in parallel with the moving direction of the customer (not shown), so that the load receiving surface 2 of the soccer table 1 is left and right with respect to a store clerk (not shown). It is elongated in the direction. And such a soccer table 1
An electronic cash register (not shown) is arranged in the vicinity of the left end of the bar code scanner, and a bar code scanner 4 is erected on the front side of the central area of the load receiving surface 2 with the basket passing portion 3 open. . Here, this barcode scanner 4
A reading window 5 for optically scanning a barcode (not shown) formed on a product (not shown) by printing or a label is formed on the front surface, and a keyboard 6 inclined to the clerk side is formed at the upper end portion thereof. A display 7 and a display 8 inclined to the customer side are provided.

Further, in this check-out counter, the shopping basket 9 containing commodities is designed to be carried in from the right side of the soccer table 1, and on the front side of the load receiving surface 2 on the carrying-in side, A guide rail 10 for preventing the shopping basket 9 from falling is provided in the left-right direction. Also,
On the right side of the barcode scanner 4 on the cargo receiving surface 2,
A stopper 11 having a large contact resistance, which is substantially flush with the surface of the load receiving surface 2, is provided. Here, the stopper 11 has a structure in which an elongated groove is formed in the front-rear direction on the load receiving surface 2 of the soccer table 1, and an elastic body such as rubber is press-fitted into the groove.

The soccer table 1 has a plurality of drawers 12 and shelves 13 formed on the rear surface thereof on the side of the clerk.

In such a structure, the customer carries in the shopping basket 9 containing the products from the right end of the cargo receiving surface 2 of the soccer table 1, so that the shopping basket is placed at the position A of the soccer table 1 in FIG. 9 will be placed. Therefore,
The clerk guides the guide rail 10 and pulls in the shopping basket 9 at hand, but when the bottom of the shopping basket 9 comes into contact with the stopper 11, its slip resistance increases sharply and stops at the position B in FIG. It will be. At this time, soccer table 1
Since the position A is empty, the next customer can place another shopping basket 9 there.

Since the empty shopping basket 9 is previously placed at the position C on the left side, the clerk optically scans the bar code of the product taken out from the right shopping basket 9 with the bar code scanner 4. Put it in the shopping basket 9 on the left side. At this time,
The product information scanned and scanned from the bar code of the product is transmitted to the electronic cash register, and is registered in the electronic cash register. Therefore, the products that have undergone the registration process as described above will be thrown into the shopping basket 9 at the C position on the left side of the barcode scanner 4, and when such registration process is completed for all products, C
The shopping basket 9 at the position is conveyed to the D position and the accounting process is performed.

When the sales operation for one customer is completed as described above, the customer takes the shopping cart at the D position away, and the shopping cart 9 at the B position is moved to the vacant C position. Since the shopping basket 9 is empty and lightweight, even if the contact resistance of the stopper 11 is large, it can be C with a relatively light force.
Can be slid to the position.

[0010]

In the above-mentioned checkout counter, the heavy shopping basket 9 storing the commodities is forcibly positioned by the stopper 11, so that the registration processing in the bar code scanner 4 can be performed well. Shopping basket 9 that can be carried out and is thus positioned
When is empty, it can be easily moved from above the stopper 11, so that it is easy to carry out sales operations continuously.

Here, in the above-mentioned checkout counter, the heavy shopping basket 9 in which the products are stored is positioned on the right side of the bar code scanner 4 by the stopper 11, but actually, the left side of the bar code scanner 4 is positioned. It is desirable to similarly position the shopping basket 9 which is placed in the place where goods are put. However, since the stopper 11 of the checkout counter described above positions the shopping basket 9 by its frictional resistance, it is good when the shopping basket 9 into which the product is put on the left side of the barcode scanner 4 is empty. Is difficult to position, and it is also difficult to move the shopping basket 9 after the products are loaded. That is, the stopper 11 as described above is arranged on the right side of the bar code scanner 4 and takes out the product.
However, it is not suitable for the shopping basket 9 which is arranged on the left side of the barcode scanner 4 and into which products are put.

Therefore, in the checkout counter as described above, the shopping basket 9 arranged on the left side of the bar code scanner 4 and into which the goods are put cannot be properly positioned, so that the work efficiency of the sales operation is improved. It is falling.

Further, in the above-mentioned checkout counter, the performance of the stopper 11 for positioning the shopping basket 9 due to the frictional resistance of the surface is significantly deteriorated due to surface stains or the like. It is difficult to maintain stable.

[0014]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A flat cargo receiving surface extending to the left and right of a product information recording unit is formed, and a magnetic member of the shopping basket is provided in the vicinity of the product information recording unit on the carry-in side of the cargo receiving surface. At least one magnet for removably adsorbing is attached.

[0015]

[Function] Since the shopping basket can be positioned with respect to the predetermined position on the cargo receiving surface independently of the total weight of the shopping basket, the empty shopping basket can be properly positioned to contribute to the improvement of the work efficiency of the sales operation. Moreover, since the magnet that positions the shopping basket with magnetic attraction does not affect the performance even if the surface is soiled, for example, even in a store handling fresh food, the performance of positioning the shopping basket is stable. Can be maintained at.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in the checkout counter 14, as shown in FIG. 1, by arranging an elongated soccer stand 15 in parallel with a moving direction of a customer (not shown),
The load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15 is elongated in the left-right direction with respect to a store clerk (not shown). An electronic cash register 17 is arranged in the vicinity of the left end of such a soccer table 15, and a basket passing section 3 is provided on the front side in the central area of the cargo receiving surface 16 to serve as a product information recording section. The bar code scanner 4 is installed upright.

Here, the bar code scanner 4 has a reading window 5 formed on the front surface for optically scanning a bar code (not shown) formed on a product by printing or a label.
A keyboard 6 and a display 7 which are inclined toward the store clerk and a display 8 which is inclined toward the customer are provided on the upper end portion thereof. Further, the electronic cash register 17 is
R / J (Receipt / Journal) printer 18, keyboard 1
9, a device main body 22 integrally provided with the displays 20, 21 and the like is mounted on a drawer 23,
Here, the bar code scanner 4 is connected by a connector (not shown).

The checkout counter 14
Then, two circular through holes 24 are formed in the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15 on the right side and the left side of the barcode scanner 4.
In the through holes 24, 25, annular magnets 26, 27 are movably supported in the vertical direction so that they can be retracted into the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the magnets 26 and 27 are provided in a saucer-shaped metal holder 2.
The slide shaft 30 which is mounted in FIG. 8 and whose metal holder 28 is fixed to the upper end portion by the bolt 29 is shown in FIG.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, here, it is slidably supported in a vertical direction in a circular cylindrical slide guide 31 fixed inside the soccer table 15. Here, in the checkout counter 14, the slide shaft 30 is biased upward by a pressing spring 32 built in the bottom portion of the slide guide 31, and the slide shaft 30 is connected to the slide shaft 30 so as to project laterally. Since the pin 33 is located in the vertically elongated guide hole 34 of the slide guide 31, the slide amount is limited.

On the other hand, in the checkout counter 14, a guide plate 35 and a support shaft 36 are provided at the bottom of the soccer table 15.
The long and short swing arms 37, 38 are pivotally supported in the vertical direction so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and a connecting hole 40 is formed at the upper end of the connecting arm 39 connected to the swing arms 37, 38. ing. Then, the connecting hole 40 of the connecting arm 39
Is engaged with a connecting pin 33 of the slide shaft 30 protruding from the guide hole 34 of the slide guide 31, and a pedal 41 is provided at the rear end of the long swing arm 37 located on the right side. There is.

Therefore, the checkout counter 14
Then, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the pedal 41 is located at the bottom of the rear surface of the soccer table 15 on the clerk side, and the pedal is provided by the interlocking mechanism 42 including the slide shaft 30 and the arms 37 to 39. The vertical movement of the magnet 41 and the magnets 26 and 27 is interlocked.

At the check-out counter 14, the shopping basket 9 containing the goods is carried in from the right side of the soccer table 15, and the cargo receiving surface 1 on the carrying-in side.
A guide rail 10 for preventing the shopping basket 9 from falling off is provided on the front side of 6 in the left-right direction. Further, in the checkout counter 14, a plurality of drawers 12 and shelves 13 are formed on the rear surface of the soccer table 15 on the clerk side, but here, the drawers 12 and the like are not buffered in the interlocking mechanism 42. Is formed in.

Further, the checkout counter 14
Then, the shopping basket 43 dedicated to this is used, and as illustrated in FIG. 4, the shopping basket 43 is
An iron plate 45, which is a flat magnetic member, is attached to the central portion of the bottom surface of a main body 44 made of plastic or the like.

In such a structure, the customer carries in the shopping basket 43 containing the products from the right side of the cargo receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15, and the shopping basket 43 is initially placed on the right end portion of the soccer table 15. Will be done. Therefore, the clerk will draw in the shopping basket 43 while guiding it with the guide rails 10. However, the magnet 26 attracts the iron plate 45 on the bottom surface of the shopping basket 43 so that the shopping basket 43 can be attracted.
Will be fixedly positioned on the right side of the barcode scanner 4. At this time, this checkout counter 1
In FIG. 4, the clerk prepares an empty shopping basket 43 on the left side of the barcode scanner 4 in advance, and the shopping basket 43 is fixedly positioned by the magnet 27 attracting the iron plate 45. There is.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned state, the store clerk optically scans the bar code of the product taken out from the right shopping basket 43 by the bar code scanner 4 and then inserts it into the left shopping basket 43. The product information read and scanned from the bar code of the product is transmitted to the electronic cash register 17 and registered. Then, the merchandise that has undergone such registration processing is put into the shopping cart 43 on the left side of the bar code scanner 4, and when such registration processing is completed for all merchandise, the bar code scanner 4 Shopping basket on the left side of
3 is conveyed to the left end of the soccer table 15 and the electronic cash register 17 performs the accounting process.

At this time, the checkout counter 14
Since the shopping basket 43 arranged on the left side of the barcode scanner 4 is also fixedly positioned by the iron plate 45 being attracted by the magnet 27, when the shopping basket 43 is moved, the clerk steps on the pedal 41. With magnet 2
7 is buried under the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15. By doing so, the magnet 27 separates from the iron plate 45 and the shopping basket 43 becomes movable, so that the shopping basket 43 is easily transported to the vicinity of the electronic cash register 17.

When the sales operation for one customer is completed as described above, the customer takes away the shopping basket 43 for which the accounting processing is completed at the position of the left end of the soccer stand 15, so that the bar code scanner 4 operates. The empty shopping basket 43 located on the right side is moved to the left side. At this time, the shopping basket 43 is also fixedly positioned by the magnet 26 adsorbing the iron plate 45, so that the clerk also steps on the pedal 41 to move the magnet 26 to the iron plate 45.
The shopping cart 43 is moved after being separated from the shopping cart.

By doing so, in the checkout counter 14, as in the conventional checkout counter, the shopping cart 43 storing the products is arranged on the right side of the bar code scanner 4 and the empty shopping cart on the left side. 43
However, since both of the shopping baskets 43 are fixedly positioned by the magnets 26 and 27, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the work efficiency of the sales operation. That is, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-2 as a conventional example.
In the checkout counter of the 1480 publication, the stopper 1
Since the shopping basket 43 is positioned by the frictional resistance of the surface of No. 1, the performance of the shopping basket 43 varies depending on the total weight of the shopping basket 43 due to the number of products, but in the checkout counter 14 of the present embodiment. , Magnets 26, 2
Since the shopping basket 43 is positioned by the magnetic attraction between the iron 7 and the iron plate 45, the shopping basket 43 can be positioned and moved independently of the total weight thereof. Further, at the checkout counter 14, the shopping basket 43 is placed on the iron plate 4
Since the magnets 26 and 27 which are positioned by the magnetic attraction with the magnet 5 do not affect the performance even if the surface is contaminated, the magnets 26 and 2 can be used even in a store handling fresh foods, for example.
7 can maintain stable performance.

In the checkout counter 14, the magnets 26, 2 are attached to the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15.
Although it has been illustrated that both the certainty of the positioning of the shopping basket 43 and the convenience of the movement are made compatible by making the shopping cart 7 appear and disappear, for example, the magnets 26, 2 are provided on the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15.
7 is fixed, and an iron plate 45 is attached to these magnets 26 and 27.
By providing the shopping basket 43 and the like so as to face each other in a non-contact manner, it is possible to achieve both the certainty of positioning the shopping basket 43 and the convenience of movement. In addition, here, the magnets 26 and 27 made of permanent magnets are attached to the soccer table 15.
It has been illustrated that the product is made to appear and disappear on the cargo receiving surface 16 of and attached to and detached from the iron plate 45 of the shopping basket 43.
It is also possible to turn on and off a magnet (not shown) made of an electromagnet fixed to the cargo receiving surface 16 of the above and attach it to the iron plate 45 of the shopping basket 43.

Further, in the checkout counter 14 of the present embodiment, the shopping basket 4 is placed on the load receiving surface 16 of the soccer table 15.
Although the example of directly mounting and transporting No. 3 has been illustrated, FIG.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, by providing two rows of bearing conveyors 47 on the soccer table 46, the load receiving surfaces 48 of these bearing conveyors 47 are used as a part of the load receiving surface 49 of the soccer table 46. Can also be implemented. In addition, this checkout counter 50
In order to prevent the shopping basket 43 from falling off, stoppers 51 are provided at both ends of the bearing conveyor 47. Here, the through holes 52 and 53 of the soccer table 46 are provided.
The magnets 54, 55 are formed in a rectangular shape having the same shape as the iron plate 45 of the shopping basket 43.

[0030]

As described above, the present invention forms the flat cargo receiving surface extending to the left and right of the commodity information recording section, and the shopping cart is provided near the commodity information recording section on the carry-in side of the cargo receiving surface. By providing at least one magnet that removably attracts the magnetic member of the basket, it is possible to position the shopping basket with respect to the predetermined position on the load receiving surface independently of the total weight of the shopping basket. Can be properly positioned to contribute to the improvement of the work efficiency of the sales work, and the magnet for positioning the shopping basket with magnetic attraction does not affect the performance even if the surface is contaminated. In addition, even in a store handling fresh foods, the positioning performance of the shopping basket can be stably maintained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view showing an enlarged magnet.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an interlocking mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a shopping basket viewed from below.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a modified example.

FIG. 6 is a plan view.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-21480 by the applicant.

FIG. 8 is a plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Product information recording unit 14,50 Checkout counter 16,48,49 Cargo receiving surface 26,27,54,55 Magnet 43 Shopping basket 44 Main body 45 Magnetic member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flat load receiving surface extending to the left and right of a product information recording unit is formed, and a magnetic member of the shopping basket is detachably attached in the vicinity of the product information recording unit on the loading receiving side of the load receiving surface. A checkout counter, which is provided with at least one magnet that attracts.