JPH08142871A - Shopping cart and shopping cart system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate the integration of purchased goods by providing a shopping cart additionally with a goods information reader such as a bar code reader and an optical character reader so as to read goods information every time the purchased goods are put in, integrating the read prices, and displaying the result on a display part. CONSTITUTION: A bar code reader 3 for reading bar codes attached to goods, a card reader 4 for confirming a client by a credit card, an IC card, or the like and reading the peculiar information of the client, and the like are installed at a shopping cart. When the purchased goods are put in the cart 2 from a goods inlet 7, the goods are led into a storage part along a guide 14. At this time, goods information is read by the bar code reader 3. On the basis of this goods information, prices and the like are searched, the prices are integrated in a control part 6, and the result is displayed on a display part 5. The purchased goods are closed in so as not to be taken out of the cart 2 until exact calculation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shopping cart used in a supermarket or the like, and more particularly to an intelligent systemized shopping cart and a shopping cart system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The current shopping cart is simply a cart that carries goods that the customer wants to buy. If you think of a supermarket as a system, it often takes time to wait for payment at the register. This is a frustrating position for customers, and there is a possibility that a store that is always waiting can be shunned, and also for the store side, it is a position that requires manpower.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional example, there is a problem that the customer stays at the place where the register is installed, the waiting time for payment at the register is required, and the labor cost of the register clerk is high.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the cart of the present invention has a bar code on a shopping cart 2 for a shopper to put products in a supermarket or the like and carry them to a register 1 as shown in FIG. Products such as the reader 3, the optical character reader, the card reader 4 and the customer information reader, the product information and the customer information are displayed, the place where the product is located by entering the item, and the shopping required by entering the dish name A display unit 5 that displays today's bargains, etc. in response to a service display request, a weighing machine that weighs products, and control that accumulates product information, quantity, etc. It is characterized in that the unit 6 is mounted, a product is inserted from the product insertion port 7, the product information is read, and then the product cannot be taken out until settlement.

In order to solve the same problem, the cart system of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, has a bar code reader 3 and an optical character on a shopping cart 2 in which a shopper puts a product in a supermarket or the like and carries it to a register 1. Displaying products such as readers and card readers, customer information readers, product information, customer information, etc., inputting items to indicate the location of the product, inputting food names to the necessary shopping list, requesting service display The display unit 5 that displays today's bargains, etc., the weighing machine for weighing the products, the product information, the number of products, etc. are accumulated,
It is equipped with a control unit 6 that has a function of accumulating and accumulating prices, and it is configured so that a product cannot be taken out until it is settled after the product information is read after the product information is read in and the price of the product is paid at the end of shopping. The information accumulated in the control unit 6 is transmitted from the shopping cart 2 to the center 10 by wire or wireless at the place where the payment is made. Transmitter 8A and its receiver 9B
Are provided in the shopping cart 2 and the center 3, respectively.

[0006]

[Operation] Since the cart of the present invention has the above-described structure, the purchased product is inserted through the product insertion slot 7, the product information is read by the bar code reader 3 or the optical character reader, and the read product is read. Based on the information, the control unit 6 accumulates product information, the number of products, etc., the prices are accumulated and accumulated, and the product information is displayed on the display unit 5. In addition, if you input the item, the place where the product is input, if you input the name of the dish, the necessary shopping list is displayed. You can

Since the cart system of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, when the shopping is completed, the shopping cart 2 is moved to a place where the price of the product is paid, and the product information, the number, and the price accumulated in the control unit 6 are stored. Information such as the total is transmitted from the transmission unit 8A provided in the shopping cart 2 to the reception unit 9B provided in the center 10 and is used for accounting in the register 1.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of the cart of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the cart system of the present invention. The structure of the cart of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a shopping cart for a shopper to insert products into a register 1 in a supermarket or the like, 7 is a product insertion port, 11 is a product extraction port, 14 is a guide for guiding the product from the product insertion port 7 to the accommodation section, 15 Is a caster,
16 is a handle. This shopping cart 2 has a bar code reader 3 for reading the bar code attached to the product.
Alternatively, an optical character reader (not shown) for reading character information printed on a product, and a card reader 4 for checking a customer by a credit card, an IC card or the like and reading information peculiar to the customer are installed. The bar code reader 3 or the optical character reader (OCR) is installed on the guide 14 to facilitate reading of product information. A keypad for inputting a password or the like may be provided.

Further, product information, customer information, etc. are displayed, the place where the product is present by inputting the item, the necessary shopping list by inputting the dish name, and the service display request by the present day's featured product, bargain product, regular holiday, A display unit 5 that displays entertainment information, a weighing scale 12 that doubles as a luggage stand, and weighs products, and the price information is searched by matching the read product information with self-stored information, and the product information It has functions such as accumulating the number of pieces, accumulating and accumulating the price, calculating the weight of the commodity based on the retrieved commodity information and comparing it with the weight measured by the weighing machine 12, and confirming the content by weight. The control unit 6 and the power source (storage battery) 13 for these components are installed, and after the product information is read, the product take-out port 11 does not open and the product take-out port 7 can be taken out by the guide 14 until the payment is made. There is no configuration.

The operation of the cart of the present invention having the above structure will be described. Insert the purchased product from the product slot 7,
It accommodates in the accommodation part along the guide 14. In this case, the bar code reader 3 or the optical character reading device reads the product information, and the control unit 6 performs matching between the read product information and the self-stored information to retrieve the price and the like, and the product information, The number and the like are accumulated, the prices are accumulated and accumulated, and the product information is displayed on the display unit 5.

After reading the product information such as the bar code, the product is closed so that it cannot be taken out of the shopping cart 2 until payment is made. Based on the retrieved product information, the weight of the product is calculated by the control unit 6 and compared with the weight measured by the weighing machine 12, and the content by weight is confirmed. or,
If you input the item, the place where the product is input, if you input the name of the dish, the necessary shopping list is displayed, and if you request the service item display, today's bargain etc. are displayed on the display unit 5 and you can use it for shopping. . In this case, it is possible to display the regular holiday, the inside of the event, etc. on the display unit 5 by the service display request.

Next, the structure of the cart system of the present invention will be described. The cart system of the present invention wirelessly transmits the information accumulated in the control unit 6 from the shopping cart 2 to the center 10 at the place where the price of the product is paid at the end of shopping in the cart of the present invention (place where the register 1 is installed). . The cart side wireless transmission unit 8A and the center side wireless reception unit 9B for receiving the transmitted information are provided in the shopping cart 2 and the center 10, respectively, and the center side wireless reception unit 9B.
A center computer 17 is connected between the register 1 and the register 1.

The operation of the cart system of the present invention having the above configuration will be described. When the shopping is completed, the shopping cart 2 is moved to the place where the price of the product is paid, and the information such as the product information, the number, and the total price accumulated in the control unit 6 is transmitted from the transmission unit 8A provided in the shopping cart 2 to the center 10. The information is transmitted to and received by the receiving unit 9B provided in the computer, processed by the center computer 17 and input to the register 1, the price is paid by the register 1, the receipt is issued, and accounting processing is performed. . The information may be transmitted by wire, and in this case, the wire sending / receiving unit is used.

Further, in the present invention, the information stored in the control unit 6 during the shopping or the input information is transmitted wirelessly, for example, by electromagnetic waves or light from the shopping cart 2 to the center 10 or by the center 10. Cart side and center side wireless transmission / reception sections 8A, 8 for transmitting confirmation and information to the cart 2 and receiving the transmitted information
B, 9A, and 9B may be provided in the shopping cart 2 and the center 10, respectively.

In the case of such a configuration, information such as product information, quantity, price, etc. accumulated in the control section 6 during shopping is transmitted from the cart side wireless transmission section 8A to the center side wireless reception section 9B and received. Then, the accounting processing is performed as described above, and confirmation and information are transmitted from the center side wireless transmission section 9A to the cart side wireless reception section 8B to be received, so that the shopping can be confirmed and data can be transmitted. Information can be sent and received as desired, and data can be transmitted between the control unit 6 and the center computer 17.

When a customer uses a credit card or IC card for shopping, the card is used by the card reader 4
Then, the read customer information is transmitted from the cart side wireless transmission section 8A to the center side wireless reception section 9B and received, the center computer 17 manages the customer information, and the card is settled. This will prevent customers from waiting at the cash register. When the customer information is managed by the center computer 17, personal preferences are analyzed, shopping guidance is provided along with the personal preferences, and data is stored with the individual shopping amount as points.
For example, when 100 points are accumulated, it is notified and information can be notified by personal management such as handing over a product.

When no wireless data is sent from the center side wireless transmitter 9A to the cart side wireless receiver 8B for a certain time or more, or the center computer 17 polls each shopping cart 2 at a certain time interval. If each shopping cart does not receive this polling message for a certain period of time or longer, it recognizes that the shopping cart 2 has been taken out of the area other than the normal use area and emits an alarm sound, light, or both to prevent theft. You may do it.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to significantly reduce the waiting time at a register setting place such as a supermarket, so that the customer can effectively use the shopping time and the store has no waiting time. Other
The factor of the register can be reduced. Further, when the display unit 5 and the sending / receiving units 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B are provided, it becomes possible to flow the personalized personal information to the customer during the shopping time, and for the customer. It's easy to buy and for the store it can create a new form of face-to-face computer sales that surrounds the customer.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the customer does not stay at the place where the register is installed, the waiting time for payment at the register can be almost eliminated, and the labor cost of the register staff is reduced. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cart system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Register 2 Shopping cart 3 Bar code reader 4 Card reader 5 Display unit 6 Control unit 7 Product slot 8A Cart side (wireless) transmitter 8B Cart side (wireless) receiver 9A Center side (wireless) transmitter 9B Center side ( Wireless) Receiver 10 Center 11 Product outlet 12 Meter 13 Power supply 14 Guide 17 Center computer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display H04B 1/08 Z

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A product information reading device such as a bar code reader, an optical character reading device, a card reader, etc. is attached to a shopping cart in which a shopper puts a product in a supermarket or the like and carries it to a register, and the product is loaded in the shopping cart. A shopping cart characterized by being configured to read the information attached to the product each time the product is inserted. 2. A control unit for matching the read product information with self-stored information to search prices, accumulating the product information, quantity, etc., accumulating and accumulating prices. The shopping cart of claim 1. 3. The shopping cart according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit for displaying product information. 4. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein the product is placed in the shopping cart, the information such as a barcode is read, and the product cannot be taken out of the shopping cart until payment is made. . 5. The weight of the product is calculated based on the information of the searched product, and compared with the weight measured by a weighing machine attached to the shopping cart, and the contents based on the weight are confirmed. The shopping cart according to claim 2. 6. The display unit has a route guidance function for displaying a place where a product is present when an item is input, a shopping list function for displaying a necessary shopping list when a name of a dish is input, and a bargain for displaying a bargain for today. The shopping cart according to claim 3, which has a shopping guidance function such as a product guidance function. 7. A product such as a bar code reader, an optical character reader, a card reader, a customer information reader, a customer information reader, a product information, and a customer information in a shopping cart in which a shopper puts a product in a supermarket or the like and carries it to a register. Etc., the place where the product exists by inputting the item, the necessary shopping list by inputting the dish name, the display unit that displays today's bargain etc. by the service display request, and the weighing instrument for weighing the product When,
A control unit that has the function of accumulating product information, number of products, etc., accumulating and accumulating prices, calculating the product weight from the product information, comparing it with the weight measured by a weighing machine, and confirming the content by weight. A shopping cart that is equipped with a product, is configured so that the product cannot be taken out until the product is settled after the product information is read after the product information is read. 8. The information stored in the control unit is transmitted from the shopping cart to the center by wire or wireless at a place where the price of the product is paid at the end of shopping. 3. The shopping cart system according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are provided in the shopping cart and the center, respectively. 9. A transmission unit for transmitting the information accumulated in the control unit or the input information during shopping from the shopping cart to the center wirelessly, or for transmitting confirmation or information from the center to the shopping cart, and those transmitting units. The shopping cart system according to claim 2, wherein a receiving unit for receiving information is provided in the shopping cart and the center. 10. The shopping cart system according to claim 8, which has a payment function using a credit card, an IC card, or the like. 11. The shopping cart system according to claim 9, further comprising an anti-theft function that warns by alarm sound or light when wireless data from the center has not been sent for a certain period of time or longer. 12. The shopping cart system according to claim 10, wherein customer-specific information is managed by the center by customer confirmation with a credit card, an IC card, or the like, and can be displayed on a display unit.