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US 11,113,683 B2Granted
Displaced scanner status indicator
AssigneeNCR Corporation
InventorJohn Crooks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A scanner is integrated as a peripheral device into a POS terminal. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are selectively activated and deactivated during item scanning for items being processed during a transaction at the POS terminal. The activation and deactivation of the LEDs are visible to an overhead security camera during the transaction. The selective activation and deactivation providing indications during the transaction as to whether the items are successfully scanned or unsuccessfully scanned during the transaction as the items are passed in front of at least one scan window of the scanner.
Claims11
A method, comprising:
- detecting, by a scanner, an item passing by a scan window of the scanner during a transaction;
- determining, by the scanner, whether the item was identified by the scanner for processing with the transaction;
- and
- selectively activating or deactivating, by the scanner, at least one light visible within a field-of-view of an overhead security camera as an indication for the determining, where the at least one light visible within the field-of-view of the overhead security camera is situated on a terminal status pole associated with a terminal performing the transaction and having the scanner, wherein the scanner comprises a peripheral connection to the at least one light visible within the field-of-view of the overhead security camera and the scanner controls the at least one light during the transaction, wherein the at least one light when illuminated is visible to the overhead security camera but not visible to customers from the terminal status pole, wherein the at least one light when illuminated does not interfere with existing lights associated with the terminal status pole and the existing lights are visible to the customers from the terminal status pole.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- changing an original illumination of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) situated on a terminal status pole associated with a terminal to a changed illumination when a scanner determines an item code for an item passing in front of at least one window of the scanner is unable to be read;
- and
- providing the changed illumination on a horizontal surface of the terminal status pole that is visible within a field-of-view of an overhead security camera, wherein the scanner comprises a peripheral connection to the LEDs of the terminal status pole and the scanner controls the LEDs during transactions processed at the terminal and wherein the LEDs when illuminated is not visible to customers from the terminal status pole, wherein the LEDs when illuminated do not interfere with existing lights associated with the terminal status pole and the existing lights are visible to the customers from the terminal status pole.
A scanner, comprising:
- a processor;
- a status indicator manager;
- Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs);
- and
- a terminal status pole comprising the LEDs on a horizontal surface of a top of the terminal status pole;
- wherein the status indicator manager is configured to:
- i) execute on the processor, ii) selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs in the horizontal surface of the top of the terminal status pole based on whether an item code for an item is recognized by the scanner, and iii) ensure that the LEDs when selectively activated or deactivated are visible within a field-of-view of an overhead security camera from the horizontal surface of the top of the terminal status pole, wherein the LEDs when illuminated is not visible to customers from the terminal status pole, and wherein the LEDs when illuminated do not interfere with existing lights associated with the terminal status pole and the existing lights are visible to the customers from the terminal status pole;
- wherein the scanner further comprises a peripheral connection to the LEDs of the terminal status pole and the processor of the scanner controls the LEDs during transactions processed at a terminal associated with the scanner.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.