Self-service checkout terminal with a security function based on detection of weight of items
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTomonari Kakino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-service checkout terminal includes an optical code reader, a platform on which items to be purchased are placed, a weight sensor configured to detect a weight of objects placed on the platform, and a processor configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode. The processor carries out a registration process based on a merchandise code corresponding to a code symbol read from an item by the optical code reader while enabling a confirmation process to confirm proper item placement based on the weight detected by the weight sensor in the first mode, and carries out the registration process while disabling the confirmation process in the second mode.
Claims9
A self-checkout terminal comprising:
- a user interface including a scanner;
- one or more weight scales;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- start a transaction in response to a first user input on the user interface;
- perform first product registration for the transaction through the scanner and enable a first monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal based on a change of weight detected by the one or more weight scales during the first product registration, when the self-checkout terminal operates in a non-attended mode;
- switch an operational mode of the self-checkout terminal to an attended mode in response to a second user input on the user interface during the transaction;
- perform second product registration for the transaction through the scanner and disable the first monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal during the second product registration, when the self-checkout terminal operates in the attended mode;
- and
- perform settlement processing for the transaction either in the non-attended mode or in the attended mode based on both of one or more products registered through the first product registration performed during the non-attended mode and one or more product registered through the second product registration performed during the attended mode,
- wherein the processor enables a second monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal based on a change of weight detected by the one or more weight scales during the settlement processing in the non-attended mode and disables the second monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal during the settlement processing in the attended mode.
A method of operating a self-checkout terminal including a user interface including a scanner, the method comprising:
- starting a transaction in response to a first user input on the user interface;
- performing first product registration for the transaction through the scanner and enabling a first monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal based on a change of weight detected by one or more weight scales during the first product registration, when the self-checkout terminal operates in a non-attended mode;
- switching an operational mode of the self-checkout terminal to an attended mode in response to a second user input on the user interface during the transaction;
- performing second product registration for the transaction through the scanner and disabling the first monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal during the second product registration, when the self-checkout terminal operates in the attended mode;
- and
- performing settlement processing for the transaction either in the non-attended mode or in the attended mode based on both of one or more products registered through the first product registration performed during the non-attended mode and one or more product registered through the second product registration performed during the attended mode,
- wherein a second monitoring of irregular operations of the self-checkout terminal based on a change of weight detected by the one or more weight scales is enabled during the settlement processing in the non-attended mode and disabled during the settlement processing in the attended mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.