WO2009066161A2

WO2009066161A2 - Testing device for automatic counters

Info

Publication number: WO2009066161A2
Application number: PCT/IB2008/003164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Renata Altomare
Original assignee: Renata Altomare
Priority date: 2007-11-20
Filing date: 2008-11-20
Publication date: 2009-05-28
Also published as: ITPI20070131A1; WO2009066161A3

Abstract

A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart that comprises means (1) for receiving a common shopping cart (4) adapted to contain articles (40) selected by a customer comprise rails or guide (13), identical and parallel adapted to receive the shopping cart (4) and under which load cells are provided (Ia) for weighing of the shopping cart (4). Furthermore, means is provided for reading (11) of codes that travel with the shopping cart (4) and are used by the customer for scanningthe articles (40) selected by the client. A computer (10) receives the codes by downloading means for downloading and calculates the total weight of the articles (40), as well as receives a signal by the load cells (Ia) and the compares with the total calculated weight. Then, is emitted a signal that, if the comparison is right, causes to the control means (10) visualizino on a shield (12) the total to pay and the total weight of the articles as well as actionsno the opening the rod (5). In case opposite, is emitted an alarm signal that requires a verification manual.

Description

TITLE TESTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC COUNTERS

DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention The present invention relates to a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, which for example contains articles purchased in a department store. The invention can be applied, in particular, in the field of antitheft systems for department stores, but also in other fields that reguire the above described kind of control in the presence of self-service goods-registration points. Description of the prior art

In department stores, self-service goods-registration points exist that allow a customer to be more independent. Normally, the customer enters a department store with a shopping cart where the articles are put and that have to be paid at the exit.

In the last years, in addition to traditional counters, where each article is scanned by a cashier, new technologies for automatic payment have been developed adapted to solve problems such as reduction of queues and of the number of operators at goods-registration points.

In particular self-service goods-registration points are known, through which a client, autonomously, scans each article above a bar code reader and pays the goods through such devices as a POS or other.

Other systems provide, instead, a portable scanner or a scanner that is arranged directly on each ^' shopping cart. This way the customer scans the article before putting it in the shopping cart, saving thus time at the goods- registration points and keeping under control the cost.

Such apparatus have drawbacks, like the possibility, by the client, to evade the payment of some articles, in particular those not having transponder or other antitheft systems, omitting to pass them under the scanner and increasing, thus, the loss for theft from which a department store normally suffers. In order to overcome this problem of thefts, the supermarkets makes sample controls and uses video cameras and inspectors.

Other systems provide, in addition to the above described controls, weighing sensors mounted on the shopping carts. In fact, by calculating the total weight of the goods, from the bar codes of the articles, and comparing it with the total weight of the goods on the shopping cart, if the real total weight is higher than the calculated weight, it would mean that the customer has not scanned all the articles, or has added not weighed articles in case of bulk articles. Such devices, i.e. shopping carts arranged with scales or load cells, affect strongly the investment that a provider must carry out both for the cost and for the maintenance and repair/change of the damaged shopping carts.

Summary of the invention

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart that speeds up the payment and the flow of customers passing through the self-service goods-registration points without the above described drawbacks.

It is also a feature of the present invention to provide a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart that discourages thefts of the articles on sale by a systematic control, in precise points of a department store.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart that causes a low investment, by the proprietor, for installation and maintenance of the above described control device and provides, at the same time, a high efficiency for the user. These and other objects are achieved by a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart comprising:

- receiving means for receiving a common shopping cart, which is adapted to contain selected articles by a client, comprising fixed guide elements for said shopping cart;

- weigh means located under said receiving means;

- reading means for reading the codes of said selected articles, wherein said reading means travel with said shopping cart; - downloading means for downloading said codes by means of cable or wireless connection with said reading means;

- computing means that receive said codes from said downloading means for downloading and calculating the total weight of said articles on the basis of said codes, as well as to receive a weight signal from said weigh means and compare it with said total calculated weight;

- means for transmitting a verification signal that is responsive to the results of said comparison.

Preferably, an identification means is provided for identifying said shopping cart, which is adapted to transmit the weight of the shopping cart to said downloading means, allowing that the calculus of the total weight of said articles is effected by subtracting the tare weight of the shopping cart with a maximum precision, without using an average weight of all the shopping carts.

Advantageously, said fixed guide elements comprise two identical and parallel rails that are adapted to receive said shopping cart. In particular said rails have two side edges and a bottom that are arranged according to a U- shaped cross section, the two side edges being substantially alike and parallel to each other, for containing laterally the wheels of the shopping cart.

Alternatively, said guide elements, in a different exemplary embodiment, can be with a substantially L-shaped cross section or, alternatively, can be guides of other shape with the object of containing the wheels of the shopping cart.

In particular said guide elements are spaced at a predetermined distance from each other, to allow to a customer walking between them to push the shopping cart. This way, it is avoided that the step of weighing is influenced by external loads such as the weight of the user that rests with a part of the body on the guide of the shopping cart.

In a further exemplary embodiment, raised guides are provided for containing the basket of the shopping cart within predetermined limits. In this case, said raised guides may have a distance from each other that is equal to the width of the basket of the shopping cart such that said shopping cart is delimited only by said receiving means.

Advantageously, load cells are provided under said rails for weighing said shopping cart, whereby said rails can rest directly on the ground via said load cells without providing mechanical balance and execute masonry works. Preferably, said reading means comprises a laser scanner for reading barcodes printed on packages or labels present on the articles. Said reading means can also be RFID devices (Radio Frequency IDentification) that remotely read data that are contained in a microchip having a transponder and associated with said articles.

Advantageously, devices payment devices are provided for said articles, that are located near said control device selected from the group comprised of:

- cash payment;

- POS payment.

Preferably, a gate arm is provided, exiting from said means for receiving said shopping cart, that prevents from a movement of said shopping cart before that said control is carried out, and it opens after that the control and the payment have been completed positively.

According to another aspect of the invention a system for controlling the weight of selected articles by a customer when the articles are purchased comprising:

- reading means for reading the codes of said selected articles,

- a support surface adapted to receive said articles, in particular shopping bags containing groups of said articles;

- weigh means arranged under said support surface adapted to measure the total weight of said articles;

- downloading means for downloading said codes by means of cable or wireless connection with said reading means;

- computing means that receive said codes from said downloading means for downloading and calculating the total weight of said articles on the basis of said codes, as well as compare said total weight determined by said weigh means and compare it with said total calculated weight;

- means for transmitting a verification signal that is responsive to the results of said comparison. Advantageously, said surface is a sliding surface comprising:

- an inlet zone, on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are arranged;

- an intermediate weigh zone, on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are weighed at the passage, and

- an outlet zone, for picking up said articles, in particular said shopping bags, once emitted said verification signal.

Alternatively, said surface is a fixed surface on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are arranged by the customer and are subjected to said comparison.

Such a control device allows a client, after having scanned the many selected articles and having already in turn put them in common shopping bags, to speed up the payment and reducing the waiting time. Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be made clearer with the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, exemplifying but not limitative, with reference to the attached drawings wherein: - figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to the invention, showing the means for receiving the shopping cart with the guide elements, as well as the payment devices; - figure IA shows, a side view a rail of the guide elements for the shopping carts of Fig. 1;

- figure 2 shows the shopping cart with wheels put in the rails of the receiving means of Fig. 1 and the relative control means for controlling the total weight;

- figure 3 shows an elevational side view of the control device of Fig. 1 depicting in particular the load cells arranged below; - figures 4 and 5 show two alternative exemplary embodiments of the sliding path for the shopping cart;

- figure 6 shows a perspective view of a system for controlling the weight of articles selected by the client, in particular shopping bags containing groups of articles, by a sliding weighing surface;

- figure 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of the control system of Fig. 6 where the weighing plane is fixed;

- figure 8 shows a diagrammatical view of the device of Fig. 6 that highlights the arrangement of the load cell; - finally, Fig. 9 shows a diagrammatical view of the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 7. Detailed description of some exemplary embodiments

With reference to Fig. 1, a device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to the invention, comprises means 1 for receiving a common shopping cart 4 (visible in Fig. 2) for articles selected by a customer, comprising a fixed guide elements 3 having rails or guides 13 that are arranged parallel to each other and adapted to receive the shopping cart 4. In particular, as shown in Fig. IA, the rails 13 have two side edges 13a and a bottom 13b that form a U-shaped cross section. The two side edges 13a are substantially alike and parallel and work for containing laterally the wheels of the shopping cart assisting the customer in the introduction of the latter as well as in a correct location on the control device.

In particular the rails 13 are spaced from each other at a predetermined distance from each other, to allow a customer walking between them to push without obstacles the shopping cart. This exemplary embodiment avoids that the customer walks on the guide 13 for the shopping cart and jeopardizes the weighing step.

Functionally, on the base frame of rails 13 load cells Ia are provided (also shown in Figs. 2 and 3) for weighing the shopping cart 4, which is arranged directly on the ground so that these can be moved from a position to an other. In fact, this solution does not need masonry works or housings excavated in the ground to assemble the load cells Ia.

The guide 13 comprise, furthermore, small slopes 6 suitable to assist the rise and the descent of the shopping cart on the weighing zone, exceeding a minimum difference of level of a few centimetres, or also under the centimetre.

Figure 1 shows, furthermore, the payment devices 9 of the articles selected by the client, that are located near the control such as: apparatus with cash payment and/or with POS payment. Exiting from the guide 13 a gate arm 5 is arranged that can block a movement of the shopping cart before that the control is carried out of the weight and the payment of the articles is made, after which it opens when the control and the payment have been completed positively. With reference to Fig. 2 a perspective view is shown of the arrangement of guides 13, which are adapted to receive the shopping cart 4 and carry out a weighing step of the same by load cells arranged below.

Furthermore, a means is shown for reading the codes that, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment, comprises a laser scanner 11 for reading barcodes printed on packages or labels present on the articles or, alternatively, RFID devices (Radio Frequency IDentification) that remotely read data that are contained in a microchip having a relative transponder and associated with the articles. More precisely, scanner 11 travels with the shopping cart 4 and is used by the customer for scanning the articles 40 during the purchasing step.

The latter can be in particular transported by hand by the customer or connected releasably to the shopping cart 4 through dedicated connection elements. In the latter case, the customer before entering in the supermarket can pick up scanner 11 and then give it back once arrived to the payment point.

A main function of the scanner 11 is that, once the customer has completed to select the articles to purchase, it can exchange information with downloading means for downloading the codes (not shown in the figures) , by means of a cable or wireless connection. The latter are nothing else than a wireless interface adapted to convey the data present on scanner 11 to computing means, which must compare the total weight of the articles with the total weight detected by the load cells Ia as well as must display the total sum to pay and carry out the other known functions present in a self-service goods-registration point .

More precisely, the computing means, such as a microprocessor 10, which is present in a computer, load the codes by the downloading means and calculate the total weight of the articles 40 on the basis of the codes, as well as use the weight signal read by the load cells Ia, and eventually compare it with the total calculated weight. In particular, by providing two load cells for each rail 13, the total weight of the shopping cart is the sum of the four weights measured by the four load cells from which the tare weight is automatically subtracted, i.e. the weight of the shopping cart, which can be the mean weight of the shopping carts if they are not very different from each other, or a different weight for each shopping cart.

In the latter case, an identification means is provided for identifying the shopping cart 4 (for example a transponder not shown) , adapted to transmit the exact weight of the shopping cart to the downloading means so that the calculus of the total weight of the articles is effected by subtracting the tare weight of the shopping cart with a maximum precision, without using an average weight of all the shopping carts.

Then, a verification signal is emitted by a specific signalling means, which is integrated in computer 10, which in turn transmits, responsively to the result of the verification, a signal that, if the comparison is successful, causes a screen 12 to display the total to pay and the total weight of the articles. Furthermore, the positive result of the comparison opens gate arm 5, after payment of the articles 40 with device 9 (visible in Fig. 1) . Vice-versa, if the comparison is negative on screen 12 the difference of weight is displayed and any articles that have not been scanned can be retrieved.

With reference to Fig. 3 an elevational side view is shown of the guide 13 that depicts the arrangement of the load cells Ia located below rails 13 that allow weighing the shopping cart 4 (visible in Fig. 2) that is inserted above them through slopes 6. As above stated, such a solution allows the customer to push the shopping cart 4 above the weighing guide 13 without obstacles and in the meantime without affecting the weighing of the same, for example resting a part of the body on guide 13. In addition, this solution allows keeping an arrangement of goods-registration points that are closer to each other since the central zone between the guide 13 allows a free passage to a customer.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary embodiment structure of the guiding means with guide 13' having a profile that is substantially L-shaped. In this case, shopping cart 4, as in the previous case, is guided along the weighing path without that the wheels of the same can come out from the guides. In particular, a main advantage of this exemplary embodiment is a cheaper production of the U-shaped profile. In addition the self-service goods-registration point 9 is shown that issues the payment receipt 9' , once compared the weight and carried out the payment.

In a further exemplary embodiment, shown in Fig. 5, guides 13" are provided that are associated with side containing rods 3", which are adapted to guide the shopping cart on guides 13", in order to position the cart correctly above the latter. In this case, the raised guides 3" have a distance from each other that is equal to the width of the basket of the shopping cart 4, in order to assist pushing the shopping bag and to avoid a lateral

Play- Figure 6 shows an exemplary embodiment, according to the invention, where the receiving guides are not provided for the shopping cart 4. In this exemplary embodiment, in fact, the load cells (not shown) are arranged below a support bench 30 of the articles 40. In this case, the customer 50, when approaching the self-service goods- registration point with shopping cart 4, loads the goods 40 on the weighing surface 30 that compares the weight determined with the sum of the only weights of the articles that have been selected and scanned in turn by the customer. More precisely in the same way of the previous case, the bar code of the scanned articles contain the weight of the article that is sent through the downloading means to computer 10, in order to sum their weights and determine the total weight, which has to be compared eventually with the measured weight. Even in this case, if the result of the comparison is positive, the total to pay is displayed on monitor 12, whereas in the negative the missing or surplus weight and the code of the relative articles are displayed.

As better shown in Fig. 7, support surface 30, which is also shown in Fig. 6 of such a control device, has a conveyor belt moved through a motor 60, and comprises an inlet zone 31 where the articles 40 are arranged into the shopping bags. Automatically, the shopping bags 40 translate towards a weighing zone 32 where the comparison is made and then are conveyed to an outlet zone 33 where they can be drawn and put again into the shopping cart 4. In the version shown in Fig. 8, instead, a surface 30' is fixed and has a defined zone 35 within which the articles 40 to weigh are arranged. As shown in Fig. 9 below the surface 35 load cell Ia is located which accomplishes computing the total weight. Furthermore, after the weighing step the articles 40 are directed towards an outlet zone 37 dragged by a conveyor belt 38.

The main advantages of such control devices, according to the invention, can provide a reduction of the waiting time at the goods-registration points owing to the rapidity of payment and a reduction of the losses that a department store suffers owing to thefts. In fact, differently from the common procedure of payment, the articles are firstly scanned in turn by the customer and kept in the shopping cart 4 or distributed in the shopping bags 40, such that when the payment required firstly shopping cart 4 is pushed on the weigh guides or shopping bags 40 are put onto weigh surface 30 or 30' , and eventually the payment is made, once effected a control of the weight.

The foregoing description of a specific embodiment will so fully reveal the invention according to the conceptual point of view, so that others, by applying current knowledge, will be able to modify and/or adapt for various applications such an embodiment without further research and without parting from the invention, and it is therefore to be understood that such adaptations and modifications will have to be considered as equivalent to the specific embodiment. The means and the materials to realise the different functions described herein could have a different nature without, for this reason, departing from the field of the invention. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS l.A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart comprising:

- weigh means located under said receiving means;

- reading means for reading codes of said selected articles, wherein said reading means travel with said shopping cart;

- downloading means for downloading said codes by means of cable or wireless connection with said reading means; - computing means that receive said codes from said downloading means for downloading and calculating the total weight of said articles on the basis of said codes, as well as to receive a weight signal from said weigh means and compare it with said total calculated weight;

2. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein an identification means is provided for identifying said shopping cart, which is adapted to transmit the weight of the shopping cart to said downloading means, allowing that the calculus of the total weight of said articles is effected by subtracting the tare weight of the shopping cart with a maximum precision, without using an average weight of all the shopping carts.

3. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein said fixed guide elements comprise two identical and parallel rails that are adapted to receive said shopping cart.

4. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein under said rails load cells are provided for weighing said shopping cart.

5. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 4, wherein said rails have two side edges and a bottom that are arranged according to a U- shaped cross section, the two side edges being substantially alike and parallel to each other, for containing the wheels of the shopping cart.

6. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 4, wherein said guide elements are substantially L-shaped.

7. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein said guide elements are spaced at a predetermined distance from each other, to allow to a customer walking between them to push the shopping cart.

8.A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein raised guides are provided for containing the basket of the shopping cart within predetermined limits.

9. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein said reading means comprises a laser scanner for reading barcodes printed on packages or labels present on the articles.

10. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 9, wherein said reading means are also be RFID devices (Radio Frequency IDentification) that remotely read data that are contained in a microchip having a transponder and associated with said articles .

11. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein devices payment devices are provided for said articles, that are located near said control device selected from the group comprised of:

- cash payment apparatus;

- POS payment apparatus.

12. A device for controlling the load of a shopping cart, according to claim 1, wherein, exiting from said receiving means for receiving said shopping cart, a gate arm is provided that prevents from a movement of said shopping cart before that said control is carried out, and it opens after that the control and the payment have been completed positively.

13. A system for controlling the weight of selected articles by a customer when the articles are purchased, comprising: - reading means for reading the codes of said selected articles,

- a support surface adapted to receive said articles, in particular shopping bags containing groups of said articles; - weigh means arranged under said support surface adapted to measure the total weight of said articles;

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said surface is a sliding surface comprising:

- an inlet zone, on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are arranged; - an intermediate weigh zone, on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are weighed at the passage, and

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein said surface is a fixed surface on which said articles, in particular said shopping bags, are arranged by the customer and are subjected to said comparison.