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WO1993007787A1 - Detecteur d'articles pour des caisses de magasins - Google Patents

Detecteur d'articles pour des caisses de magasins Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1993007787A1
WO1993007787A1 PCT/GB1992/001895 GB9201895W WO9307787A1 WO 1993007787 A1 WO1993007787 A1 WO 1993007787A1 GB 9201895 W GB9201895 W GB 9201895W WO 9307787 A1 WO9307787 A1 WO 9307787A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
operator
aisle
checkout
window
optical window
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1992/001895
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Peter Sydney HARDING
Original Assignee
Harding, Roger, James
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Harding, Roger, James filed Critical Harding, Roger, James
Publication of WO1993007787A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993007787A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • G07C11/00—Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
    • A47F9/00—Shop, bar, bank or like counters
    • A47F9/02—Paying counters
    • A47F9/04—Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B3/00—Simple or compound lenses
    • G02B3/02—Simple or compound lenses with non-spherical faces
    • G02B3/08—Simple or compound lenses with non-spherical faces with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
    • G02B5/04—Prisms
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
    • G08B13/02—Mechanical actuation
    • G08B13/14—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
    • G08B13/1481—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles with optical detection

Definitions

  • This invention relates to checkouts, particularly to supermarket type checkouts in supermarkets where goods 5 are assembled together in a wheeled trolley by a customer, and to means for reducing loss of income from goods passing through the checkout not being noted by the checkout operator.
  • each checkout consists of an aisle through which the trolley may be pushed by the shopper adjacent to an elongate table, the surface of which often includes at least one conveyor belt, on which the goods for purchase are placed. The goods are then successively and individually moved past the checkout operator to the end of the table at which they may be assembled by the purchaser into bags or boxes.
  • the checkout operator is located on the opposite side of the elongate table from the aisle, normally seated in a position next to the adjacent aisle (and from which access to the operator's position is achieved) and adjacent to the pricing, weighing, etc. equipment that - the operator needs to use.
  • the height of the table top and the level of the bottom of a basket being pushed through the aisle by a shopper is such that the checkout operator, because the top of the table and its supporting structure are opaque, cannot see directly into the bottom of the basket.
  • the intention is that the shopper should place all of the goods to be purchased on the upstream end of the table and collect them from the downstream end, the basket being pushed through the aisle empty.
  • goods may be left in the bottom of the basket and, because of the opacity of the table just noted, are not seen when the trolley is pushed through the aisle alongside the table. This means that any such goods in the basket at that time fail to be checked and accordingly the checkout operator does not collect the money which the shopper should pay for those goods.
  • apparatus for location or installation in a checkout consisting of an aisle, and an elongate table adjacent the aisle, and where the checkout operator is located the opposite side of the table from the aisle, wherein the apparatus comprises, mounted adjacent the edge of the table adjacent the aisle, an optical window providing a field of view, when the window is observed by the checkout operator, extending downwardly into the aisle at an angle of inclination to the horizontal greater than the angle of inclination to the horizontal between the eye of the operator and the window.
  • the checkout operator can look at the window as the trolley is pushed through the aisle and ascertain by viewing the trolley basket as it is pushed past the field of view of the window, that it contains no goods.
  • the optical window may be thought of as being an off- centre section of a wide angle lens system, essentially enabling the operator to see, when looking slightly downwards, around the corner constituted by the far edge of the table and into the aisle.
  • the apparatus of the present invention may be essentially a free standing window mounted on the far side of the table as seen by the operator, it is highly preferred to incorporate the window within a transparent wall extending at least above and to each side of the window.
  • a transparent wall extending at least above and to each side of the window.
  • Such transparent walls extending vertically from the far side of the table for a portion of its length are commonplace, the top of the wall carrying a generally horizontal section, often integral with the material of the wall itself, which provides a convenient height surface for the support of a cheque book or credit or charge card voucher which needs to be signed by the shopper in order to complete the purchase.
  • Such a horizontal table generally between 10 and 20cm in width and 40 to 100cm long, is located at a height convenient for a standing shopper to place a cheque book or voucher on, generally 30 to 50cm above the height of the top of the elongate table.
  • apparatus for installation in a checkout consisting of a transparent screen having, when installed, an inverted L-shape in section, the larger portion of the screen, in a vertical plane when installed, incorporating an optical window providing the checkout operator with a field of view angled downwardly into the aisle compared to the line of sight from the operator to the window.
  • the optical window is preferably generally flat and formed of a number of generally arcuate sections, each constituting an optical prism.
  • the window may accordingly be thought of as a small off-centre area of a Fresnel lens.
  • the shape, size and detailed construction of the optical window may vary dependent upon the particular geometry of the checkout in which it is to be installed. Generally ' speaking, the window will have a vertical extent of 10 to 25cm and a horizontal extent measured in the direction of the axis of the elongate table of 20 to 40cm.
  • the optical window may be made from any convenient material. For cost effective manufacturing it is preferred to make it by moulding from a clear acrylic plastics composition and of generally rectangular shape. Again, for manufacturing convenience, one side of the window is usually flat with the other having a ridged profile as a result of the successive prismatic sections of which the window is composed.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic vertical section through a checkout of conventional construction
  • Figure 2 is a section similar to Figure 1, but of a checkout in accordance with the present invention
  • Figure 3 is a perspective view of part of the checkout of Figure 2;
  • Figure 4 is a plan view of an optical window
  • Figure 5 is a section of the window shown in Figure 4 along the lines A-A thereon.
  • FIG. 1 shows a cross section schematically of a conventional checkout
  • this shows a checkout operator 6 seated on a chair 10 located between a side wall 12 and an elongate conveyor table structure 8.
  • the side wall 12 of the next adjacent checkout acts * to define an aisle 4 between table 8 and itself through which a trolley 14 may be pushed.
  • any articles located in the base of the basket forming part of trolley 14 cannot be seen directly by the checkout operator.
  • a conventional transparent upstanding unit 16 Fixed to the far side of table 8 as seen by the operator 6 is a conventional transparent upstanding unit 16 having a transparent or translucent vertical wall 18 and an integral relatively narrow generally horizontal surface 20 on which a cheque book or credit card voucher may be rested for signature.
  • an optical window 22 is attached to or forming part of vertical wall 18. While this may be simply attached to vertical wall 18, this is generally not preferred, particularly if wall 18 is made of a tinted plastics material as is not uncommon, as the tinting and indeed the interface between wall and window gives rise to a reduction in visibility through the window which makes it more difficult for the operator to see through the window and into the aisle.
  • the line of sight from the operator 6 to the window 22 is bent by the optical window so that the operator can have a view effectively downwards into the basket as it is pushed past the window.
  • the line of sight from the operator through the top of the window 22, denoted 24* shows that effectively the whole of the lower part of the basket is visible through the window 22, thus providing an easy visual check for the operator that the basket really is empty.
  • Figures 4 and 5 show in plan and section on an enlarged scale a typical construction for window 22.
  • Window 22 consists of a moulded piece of transparent acrylic plastics material, for example a methylmethacrylate plastics of optical grade, of generally rectangular shape having on one face flat border regions 40 and a series of moulded arcuate grooves 42.
  • the line of sight from the operator (who may be considered to be on the left as seen in Figure 5) is deflected downwards as it passes through the window 22 to point towards the aisle which may be considered to be on the right of Figure 5.
  • the spacing and angling at the grooves at the top of the window differs from that at the bottom in order to provide a desired field of view over the aisle.
  • the grooves are also curved, thus spreading out the field of view laterally as well as vertically.
  • the curvature is not evident from Figure 5, but obvious from Figure 4 in which the curved lines represent ridges 46 between the corresponding valleys 47 on the corrugated side of window 22 facing the operator.
  • the valleys 47 are not drawn on Figure 4, but their relative positions can be estimated from looking at Figure 5.
  • curvatures, face angles, and the like can be varied to suit the particular geometry of the checkouts into which the windows are to be installed and to provide an adequate field of view to enable the operator, without excessive movement of his or her head, to see what, if anything, is in the basket as it is wheeled through the aisle.
  • the optical window may, if desired, be moulded into a wall and top unit 16, but generally it is simpler to cut an aperture in the unit 16 and fix the window shown in Figures 4 and 5 into it, e.g. using a suitable adhesive.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Abstract

Une fenêtre optique (22) est placée à côté du couloir (4) dans lequel passe un caddie (14) à une caisse de supermarché. Lorsque le caissier (6) regarde à travers la fenêtre optique (22), son champ de vision est orienté à un angle incliné vers le bas de sorte que le fond du caddie puisse être examiné, le caissier (6) s'assurant ainsi qu'aucun article devant être payé n'est délibérément ou par inadvertance emporté sans être payé.
PCT/GB1992/001895 1991-10-18 1992-10-16 Detecteur d'articles pour des caisses de magasins WO1993007787A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB919122186A GB9122186D0 (en) 1991-10-18 1991-10-18 Checkouts
GB9122186.1 1991-10-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1993007787A1 true WO1993007787A1 (fr) 1993-04-29

Family

ID=10703187

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1992/001895 WO1993007787A1 (fr) 1991-10-18 1992-10-16 Detecteur d'articles pour des caisses de magasins

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2780092A (fr)
GB (1) GB9122186D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO1993007787A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3209981A1 (de) * 1982-03-18 1983-09-29 Brüder Siegel GmbH & Co KG Draht- und Metallwarenfabrik, 8874 Leipheim Kassenanlage fuer selbstbedienungsgeschaefte
US4457585A (en) * 1981-08-31 1984-07-03 Ducorday Gerard M Magnifier reader
DE8705195U1 (de) * 1987-04-07 1987-06-11 Wahler, Manfred, 7303 Neuhausen Lichtabschirm- und Überwachungseinrichtung für Scanner-Registrierkassen
US4998011A (en) * 1989-11-17 1991-03-05 Applied Magnetics Corporation Flat plate focus sensing apparatus

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4457585A (en) * 1981-08-31 1984-07-03 Ducorday Gerard M Magnifier reader
DE3209981A1 (de) * 1982-03-18 1983-09-29 Brüder Siegel GmbH & Co KG Draht- und Metallwarenfabrik, 8874 Leipheim Kassenanlage fuer selbstbedienungsgeschaefte
DE8705195U1 (de) * 1987-04-07 1987-06-11 Wahler, Manfred, 7303 Neuhausen Lichtabschirm- und Überwachungseinrichtung für Scanner-Registrierkassen
US4998011A (en) * 1989-11-17 1991-03-05 Applied Magnetics Corporation Flat plate focus sensing apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2780092A (en) 1993-05-21
GB9122186D0 (en) 1991-11-27

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