US 5,883,968 AGranted

System and methods for preventing fraud in retail environments, including the detection of empty and non-empty shopping carts

AssigneeAW Computer Systems, Inc.

InventorsCharles W. Welch, J. Michael Rozmus, James L. Whiteman, Michael Negin, William J. Herd

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Abstract

Purchase of an item bearing a unique identification code is verified by (a) ascertaining the identification code of an item to be purchased; (b) acquiring data representative of color features of the item to be purchased; and (c) comparing the data representative of color features of the item to be purchased to data representative of expected color features for items having the same identification code. Other physical characteristics of an item, such as height, may also be employed. The disclosed system is also capable of detecting whether a shopping cart is empty or not, and determining whether a non-empty cart is an indication that a theft is being attempted.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for use in preventing fraud in a retail or like environment in which customers utilize carts to bring items to be purchased to a checkout station having a cart aisle through which the carts pass, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing empty cart image data representing at least one image of a cart that is known to be empty;
(b) when a customer arrives at said checkout station with a cart to perform a transaction for the purchase of selected items, obtaining an image of said customer cart;
(c) comparing the image of said customer cart to said empty cart image data, and determining from said comparison whether said customer cart is empty;
wherein said items to be purchased have identifying codes associated with them, said method further comprising the steps of:
detecting the codes associated with items to be purchased in said transaction as said items are removed from said customer cart;
if said cart is determined not to be empty, determining whether a code has been detected for an item that is permitted to be in the cart;
and
if no code is detected for an item that is permitted to be in the cart, initiating an action to deter a possible attempt by the customer to leave the premises without paying for an item in the cart.

5 more elements

A security system for use in preventing fraud in a retail or like environment in which customers utilize carts to bring items to be purchased to a checkout station having a cart aisle through which the carts pass, said system comprising:

(a) means for obtaining and storing first data representative of an image of a known empty cart;
(b) means for obtaining second data representative of an image of a customer cart when a customer arrives at said checkout station with said customer cart to perform a transaction for the purchase of selected items;
and
(c) means for comparing said first and second data and for determining from said comparison whether said customer cart is empty;
wherein said items to be purchased in said transaction have identifying codes associated with them, and wherein the system further comprises:
means for detecting the codes associated with items to be purchased in said transaction as said items are removed from said customer cart;
means for determining whether a code has been detected for an item that is permitted to be in the customer cart, if said customer cart is determined not to be empty;
and
means for initiating an action to deter a possible attempt by the customer to leave the premises without paying for an item in the customer cart, when said cart is determined not to be empty and no code has been detected for an item that is permitted to be in the cart.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/598,395Filed 9 Feb 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 5 Jul 1994
Granted: 16 Mar 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06T 7/001
Industrial image inspection: using an image reference approach
A47F 9/045
Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores: handling of baskets or shopping trolleys at check-out counters, e.g. unloading, checking
G07G 1/0036
Cash registers: checkout procedures
G07G 1/0054
With a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID]…