US 2008/0074261 A1 · SHOPPING CART BOTTOM OF THE BASKET ITEM DETECTION

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection and provide a method, system and computer program product for high-contrast BOB item detection. In one embodiment of the invention, a shopping cart BOB item detection data processing system can include high contrast material applied in proximity to a shopping cart BOB; an optical sensor positioned to generate an image of the high contrast material; BOB detection logic and an alert disposed in proximity to a cash register at the check stand. The BOB detection logic can include program code enabled to analyze the image to detect either an obscuring ir an obstruction of the high contrast material. As such, the alert can be operable to issue an alert responsive to the BOB detection logic detecting one an obscuring or an obstruction of the high contrast material.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In a check stand, a shopping cart bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection data processing system comprising:

high contrast material applied in proximity to a shopping cart BOB;
an optical sensor positioned to generate an image of the high contrast material;
BOB detection logic comprising program code enabled to analyze the image to detect one of an obscuring and an obstruction of the high contrast material;
and,
an alert disposed in proximity to a cash register at the check stand and operable to issue an alert responsive to the BOB detection logic detecting one of an obscuring and an obstruction of the high contrast material.

2 more elements

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for shopping cart bottom of the basket (BOB) item detection the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for acquiring an optical image of high contrast material proximate to a shopping cart BOB adjacent to a check stand;
computer usable program code for determining whether the high contrast material is one of obscured and obstructed by an item in the BOB;
and,
computer usable program code for triggering an alert to a check stand clerk responsive to determining an obscuring or an obstruction of the high contrast material.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Shopping cart bottom of the basket item detection

Life of this patent

Shopping cart bottom of the basket item detection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18