Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Including point of sale terminal or electronic cash register
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-07-10
Olszewski, Robert P. (Department: 2167)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Including point of sale terminal or electronic cash register
C705S023000, C235S378000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260023
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to product checkout systems and more specifically to a transaction processing system which includes a networked produce recognition system.
A typical transaction establishment includes a network of transaction terminals which all obtain price information from a single price file through a transaction server. The price file links item identification information to price information.
The transaction terminals are located at checkout counters, which typically contain bar code readers and which may additionally contain scales, either stand-alone units or integrated with the bar code readers. The bar code readers provide identification information for bar-coded items to the transaction terminals and the scales provide weight information for non-bar-coded items.
Items which are typically not bar-coded and identified by a bar code reader are produce items. Thus, identification of produce items is typically a task for the checkout operator, who must identify a produce item and then manually enter an item identification code. Operator identification methods are slow and inefficient because they typically involve a visual comparison of a produce item with pictures of produce items. Operator identification methods are also prone to error, on the order of fifteen percent.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a produce recognition system which can minimize operator involvement in produce identification and entry into a transaction. It would also be desirable to provide a produce recognition system which can be easily added as an upgrade to an existing transaction processing network. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a network-based produce recognition system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a transaction processing system including a networked produce recognition system is provided.
The produce recognition system includes a produce recognition server and a checkout system which are networked together. The checkout system includes a transaction processing terminal, a bar code reader which sends item identification information associated with bar-coded items and with the produce items to the transaction processing terminal, a produce data collector coupled to the bar code reader, and a computer coupled between the bar code reader and the produce recognition server for relaying produce data to the produce recognition server and produce identification information to the bar code reader.
A method of recording a produce item as part of a transaction includes recording produce data by a produce data collector, sending the produce data through a communications port in a bar code reader to a produce recognition server with a request for item identification information by the produce data collector, receiving the item identification information from the produce recognition server by the bar code reader, sending the item identification to a transaction processing terminal by the bar code reader, and adding the item identification information to the transaction.
It is a feature of the present invention that the bar code reader sends item identification information for both bar-coded and non-bar-coded items to the transaction processing terminal.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a transaction processing system including a networked produce recognition system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a networked produce recognition system which provides item identification information for both bar-coded and non-bar-coded items.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a networked produce recognition system which includes a bar code reader containing control circuitry for processing bar code data collector signals, scale signals, and produce data collector signals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a produce recognition system in which a produce recognition server is called by the produce data collector through a bar code reader, rather than through a transaction processing terminal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a produce recognition system which includes a bar code reader which has a secondary communications port for communicating with a produce recognition server.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a produce recognition system which can be easily added to an existing transaction processing network.
It is another object of the present invention to add a produce recognition network to an existing store network.
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Tim Triplett, Scanning wand makes checkout lines disappear, Marketing News v28n14, pp 6-11, Jul. 1994.*
Patents: Checkout scanners may soon be ringing up fruits and vegetables based on their scent, New York Times, p C2, Nov. 3, 1997.
Ames Stephen J.
Collins, Jr. Donald A.
Seevers Daniel B.
Treptau Jeffrey P.
Jaketic Bryan
Martin Paul W.
NCR Corporation
Olszewski Robert P.
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