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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns checkout stations and, more particularly,
checkout stations for stores which contain items having theft-prevention
indicators.
Theft in retail stores has become staggering. The impact of theft is felt
not only by the retailers, but also by the consumers who bear the loss
from theft either by increased prices or by store closings.
In supermarkets alone, a conservative estimate is that in 1983 theft
accounted for more than one billion dollars in losses. Conventional theft
detection or prevention techniques have done little to alleviate the
problem. Training store personnel to detect and prevent theft is, at best,
only a limited solution. Such personnel have other responsibilities, and
the large number and high turnover of personnel in most stores makes it
difficult to assess whether all employees are effectively spotting and
preventing shoplifting.
Use of store detectives is also an inadequate solution. Store detectives
are expensive, which limits the number of detectives each store can
economically employ, and each store detective sees only a small part of
the entire store.
The need for an effective and inexpensive technique to reduce thefts is,
and has been for some time, extremely great. In many retail
establishments, especially supermarkets, profits are only a small
percentage of total sales; many stores' profits are less than one percent
of total sales. Since such small profit margins cannot support much
"set-off," the effects of theft loss in these stores is magnified.
One device which was developed to reduce supermarket theft is the
SensorGate system sold by Sensormatic Electronics Corporation. In that
system, soft metal strips, called labels, act as theft-prevention
indicators and are attached to a store's retail items. When items with
such indicators pass through a sensing gate, for example sensing gate 10
shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the gate detects the presence of the strip and
activates an alarm. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,394,645 to Humble et al. and
4,309,697 to Weaver, both assigned to Sensormatic Electronics, Corp.,
provide a more complete description of a sensing gate.
FIG. 1b shows a typical placement of the gate 10 relative to a conveyor
belt 15 in a checkout station of a typical supermarket. The detection area
40 in FIG. 1b is that area through which theft-prevention indicators must
pass for the gate to detect them.
Other types of sensing systems which have been developed for similar
purposes electromagnetically sense, for example by radio beams, detection
tags on the items to be purchased.
FIG. 2 shows a checkout station 5 in a supermarket 1. The items available
for purchase from the store which are determined to be "high-theft" items
have theft-prevention indicators which, as described above, include soft
metal labels. Sensing gates 10, similar to the gate shown in FIGS. 1a and
1b, are placed in entrance aisle 85.
When a shopper approaches a gate 10 with a shopping basket full of items
from the store, that shopper places all those items on conveyor 15. A
cashier using cash register system 70, which typically includes a
universal product code scanner and printer, determines the total cost of
items on conveyer 15 and receives payment from the shopper for those
items. Gate 10 is designed to detect any "high-theft" items remaining on
the shopper's person instead of on conveyor 15 and to set off an
appropriate alarm when the shopper walks through that gate.
The problems with the checkout station in FIG. 2 make its use undesirable.
First, since gate 10 is sensitive to the presence of metal, it would
normally set off an alarm when a shopping cart or basket is pushed through
it. To avoid this, sensing gate 10 has an inhibitor which disarms the gate
when an object which has a very high metal content, like a shopping cart,
is near the gate. In theory, after the shopper pushes his cart through
gate 10 and into checkout aisle 60, the gate closes and "rearms," i.e.,
becomes active again, so when the shopper later passes through gate 10,
the gate can determine whether the shopper has retained any items on his
or her person.
In practice, however, it has been determined that when a shopper has a
child or a pocketbook in the shopping cart, the shopper pulls the cart
back in contact with gate 10 or at least into the gate's detection area,
thereby disarming the system. Disarming the gate also occurs if the
cashier, in loading bags onto a cart, moves the cart too close to gate 10.
As a result, the system in FIG. 2 is "armed" only a small part of the
time, thus reducing its effectiveness.
Also, the sensitivity of the system in FIG. 2 must be set very low to
prevent false alarms from the excessive electrical noise, e.g., from
scanner printers in register 70. False alarms not only slow the checkout
operation but also generate shoppers' ill will toward the store.
Fire codes dictate that stores as large as grocery stores provide 60 inch
openings at locations X and Y shown in FIG. 2. Present sensing technology
cannot span this distance with a single system, and use of two systems
creates fire code problems because of the need for a pedestal at the
center of the 60 inch opening. As a result, systems are placed at 60 inch
distances with no middle pedestal for deterrent purposes, but they seldom
alarm because systems cannot function effectively at 60 inches.
These problems reduce the detection rate to an unacceptably low level,
especially in view of the system's cost, which can be significant due to
the number of systems needed and the structural changes which would be
required for each checkout station.
The width of entrance aisle 85, through which the shopper with a shopping
cart passes prior to entering checkout aisle 60, is typically only one or
two inches wider than a shopping cart. The width of the supporting
structure on gate 10, however, is more than two inches on each side, so
gate 10 cannot be used in FIG. 2 without enlarging the entrance aisle.
Such enlargement is estimated to cost at least $12,000 per store, and some
selling space or the numbers of aisles may need to be reduced to
accommodate the widened entrance aisles. The FIG. 2 system is thus both
costly and ineffective.
To avoid widening the entrance aisles, a checkout station 5', shown in FIG.
3, uses a modified single gate 10' placed as shown in the checkout aisle
60. A shopper in entrance aisle 85 places items for purchase on belt 15
and pushes the shopping cart past gate 10' and into checkout aisle 60. The
cashier takes the items from belt 15 and places them in the cart. Any
other items containing a theft-prevention indicator would be detected by
gate 10' if they remain on the shopper's person.
The problems with this system are still that gate 10' is very close to the
scanner printer in the adjacent cash register station, thus requiring a
lowering of sensitivity and, in the normal basket loading position, the
basket cart could be in the gate detection area, thereby disarming the
system. Furthermore, the cashier must make awkward and time consuming
movements to load this cart.
Checkout station 5" in FIG. 4 eliminates some of the problems of the
systems in FIGS. 2 and 3, but still has some major disadvantages. In FIG.
4, gates 10 are placed in checkout aisle 60 far enough back to avoid
interference from adjacent scanner printers. A shopper entering a checkout
aisle proceeds as in the systems in FIGS. 2 and 3. At the checkout
station, however, when the cashier places the bags into the shopper's
cart, the cart may contact and disarm the gates. Cashiers could make sure
the carts are pushed all the way through the gate after loading them and
before the shopper passes through the gate, but this requires that the
cashiers all be trained and constantly supervised to ensure that they
follow this very important procedure.
An objective of the present invention is, therefore, a checkout station to
reduce the amount of theft from a store.
Another objective of the present invention is a checkout station to reduce
theft which requires minimal redesign of existing checkout stations.
A further objective of the present invention is a checkout method which
allows the use of self-checkout stations while reducing theft in retail
establishments.
Another objective is a checkout station which does not require aisles to be
moved, which eliminates congestion, and which reduces the number of
theft-prevention systems required per store.
Another objective is high-speed checkout and self-checkout which requires
fewer cashiers and checkout aisles and yield more sales space.
Another objective is to increase sensor sensitivity by reducing
interference and to obtain a higher pick rate with fewer or no false
alarms in order to have greater deterrent effect and apprehension
identification potential.
Another objective is an effective theft prevention system in accord with
the fire codes.
Yet another objective of the present invention is an automated checkout
station.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The checkout station of this invention attains these objectives and
overcomes the problems of the prior art by separating shoppers from items
to be purchased while shoppers pass through a sensing gate, which can be
set to a high sensitivity because of the location of the gate.
More specifically, the checkout station of this invention comprises means
through which a shopper must pass to leave the store for dispossessing the
shopper from the items from the store identified by the shopper for
purchase, the items containing theft-prevention indicators; sensing means
for detecting the presence of items with the theft-prevention indicators
in possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dispossessed of
the items identified for purchase; cashier stations, separated from the
sensing means, for printing the total cost of the items identified by the
shopper for purchase and for receiving payment from said shopper
corresponding to said total cost after the items identified for purchase
have been dispossessed from the shopper; and a pickup area wherein the
shopper is returned possession of the items identified for purchase after
the total cost of the items identified for purchase has been printed.
The method of this invention for reducing theft from a store containing
items with theft-prevention indicators comprises the following steps:
dispossessing shoppers of items identified by the shopper for purchase;
detecting the presence of items with the theft prevention indicators in
the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dispossessed of
the items identified for purchase; printing the total cost of the items
identified by the shopper for purchase at a location separated from where
the detecting step takes place; and giving the shopper possession of the
items identified for purchase after store payment for the identified items
has been received.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part
of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,
together with the description, explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a shows a perspective view of a sensing gate which can be used with
this invention;
FIG. 1b shows the top view of the sensing gate in FIG. 1a;
FIG. 2 shows a supermarket checkout station using the gate shown in FIGS.
1a and 1b;
FIG. 3 shows another supermarket checkout station using a modified sensing
gate;
FIG. 4 shows another supermarket checkout station using the sensing gate
shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b;
FIG. 5 shows a supermarket checkout station in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 6 shows another supermarket checkout station in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 7 shows yet another supermarket checkout station in accordance with
the present invention;
FIG. 8 shows another supermarket checkout station in accordance with the
present invention; and
FIG. 9 shows a video camera which can be used with the checkout system of
this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of
the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention for a checkout station
to reduce theft from a store. Elements of the checkout station which have
been described previously are identified by like reference numerals and
will not be further discussed.
As in the systems described previously, a shopper gathers from store 1
items which are available for purchase from the store and which have
theft-prevention indicators. The shopper usually puts those items in a
carrying basket or shopping cart and, when finished shopping, enters the
checkout station identified generally by 100. The purpose of checkout
station 100 is to detect any items which the shopper has not identified
for purchase, but with which the shopper intends to leave the store
without paying. The shopper enters checkout station 100 via checkout aisle
85.
In accordance with the present invention, there are means through which a
shopper must pass to leave the store for dispossessing the shopper of
those items which the shopper identifies for purchase. In the checkout
station in FIG. 5, the dispossessing means includes conveyor 15, bag
console 80 and secure area 110 located adjacent to console 80.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is sensing means for
detecting the presence of items with the theft-prevention indicators which
are in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been
dispossessed of the items identified for purchase. In FIG. 5, this means
includes sensing gate 10 which is located adjacent to bag console 80.
Because sensing gate 10 is no longer in checkout aisle 85, gate 10 can be
the standard sensing gate shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b which is recessed into
console 80 and an adjacent console.
The checkout station of this invention also includes cashier stations for
printing the total cost of the items identified by the shopper for
purchase and for receiving payment from said shopper corresponding to said
total cost after such items have been dispossessed from the shopper. To
avoid the interference problems, and corresponding low sensitivity,
present in the prior art systems, such cashier stations are separated from
the sensing means. In FIG. 5, cashier stations 140 each contain a cash
register 145 similar to cash register 70 in FIGS. 2-4, which prints the
total cost of the items identified for purchase and which receives payment
for said items. In the system in FIG. 5, cashier stations 140 are located
adjacent secure area 110 such that secure area 110 is between the bag
consoles 80 and the cashier stations 140.
Preferably, scanner 82 reads codes, like the Universal Product Code, on
items identified for purchase to compute their price. In the present
invention, this information would be sent to cash register station 140 for
printing of each item's price and the items' total cost. Scanner 82 is, in
one embodiment, used by a store employee who passes the items over the
scanner 82. The store employee could, for example, be a bag boy.
To increase the throughput of the checkout station 100 in FIG. 5 even more,
scanner 82 can be used by the shopper, thereby creating a self-checkout
station. After the items pass over scanner 82, they are placed on bag
console 80. When all the items have passed through the self-checkout
equipment, that equipment computes a total cost for the items which is
printed at the cashier station.
Preferably bag boys (B in FIG. 5) would place the items on the console into
bags both to speed the checkout and to help with self-checkout. The
advantage of using self-checkout stations in this invention is that the
cashiers at station 140 only need to receive the money for the items
identified for purchase since the total cost of the items has already been
computed and printed. Such a system could also improve aisle production
and reduce the total number of cashiers needed in the store.
The present invention is particularly advantageous for use with
self-checkout stations since the checkout station of this invention will
reduce theft that other self-checkout stations may experience due to the
lack of cashier supervision. Since the self-checkout stations compute the
total cost of the items before the shopper reaches the cashier's station,
area 110 need not be under such great supervision because gate 10 will
prevent the shopper from leaving the store with items that have not been
scanned. Bag boys can provide all the supervision that is necessary to
ensure that the shopper scans all items before they are placed on the
console. In addition, the present invention is consistent with the trend
towards greater automation reflected by self-checkout stations.
After the total cost of the items is printed and payment is received, the
shopper is returned possession of the items identified for purchase in a
pickup area, which in FIG. 5 can be inside pickup area 150, located
adjacent cash register stations 145 or outside pickup area 155.
In operation without self-checkout, after entering checkout station 100 via
checkout aisle 85, a shopper places the items identified for purchase onto
conveyor 15. A store employee passes the items over a scanner 82 and
places them onto console 80. A bag boy B would then take the items
identified for purchase and either place them in bags or in another cart
and then move the cart or bags to one of cashier stations 145.
The shopper, with or without self-checkout, places all the items in the
cart or basket onto conveyer 15. A bag boy B then pulls the cart or basket
completely through sensing gate 10 while, for example, the items are still
being scanned. The shopper then walks through gate 10 without the shopping
cart or basket, when gate 10 is fully rearmed.
Also, because gate 10 is not adjacent any cash registers or scanner
printers, the gate's sensitivity can be made high to detect with high
reliability the presence of items having the theft-prevention indicators
if such items remain with the shopper when walking through sensing gate
10. Shoppers thus will not be able to conceal on their person or in their
accessories, such as their handbags, any items containing the
theft-prevention indicators.
At station 140, a cashier, having the total cost printed, receives payment
from the shopper corresponding to that cost. The shopper is then given
possession of such items and may leave the store.
One advantage of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5 is that it
uses presently-known sensing gate technology and enhances the value of
that technology by increasing the gates' sensitivity to theft-prevention
devices. The efficacy of the system is increased further since the
shopping carts are not loaded by the cashier, so there is no reason for
shoppers to pull them back into the sensing gate and disarm the gate.
Also, self-checkout needs only minimal supervision, e.g., by bag boys or
by personnel in the manager's office 150, to ensure that shoppers pass all
items over the scanner.
Because checkout aisles 85 need not be widened, the cost for installing the
checkout station shown in FIG. 5 is much less than that of the systems in
FIGS. 2-4. Also, since the checkout aisles' throughput will be increased
by moving the cashier operation from the checkout aisles and bag consoles,
additional sales space may be gained by removal of one or more checkout
aisles.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The checkout
station of this invention can further include egress means, adjacent to
the secure area, for removing items identified for purchase from the
store. As shown in FIG. 6, such means includes conveyor 250 located
adjacent to secure area 210. Conveyor 250 is an endless-loop conveyor in
which the carrying surface of the conveyor, which can either be a belt or
interlocking sections such as are used for transporting luggage in
airports, remains parallel to the floor. As shown in FIG. 6, portions of
conveyor 250 lie within store 1, and portions lie outside of store 1 in
pickup area 255.
The present invention can also include means for providing an exit for the
shopper from the store without the items identified for purchase. As shown
in FIG. 6, such exit means includes door 240 which leads from store 1 into
pickup area 255. In the checkout station in FIG. 6, the sensing means,
shown by gate 230, is located just before the shopper exit means.
In the operation of checkout station 200, the shopper puts the items to be
purchased onto belt 15, where they are then read by scanner 82 and sent to
console 80 for bagging by bag boy B. Preferably, the total cost of the
items is either determined at console 80 by means of a self-checkout
station or is computed by a cashier.
After the total cost of the items is computed, the items identified for
purchase are placed on conveyor 250 and, via opening 252 in wall 251,
transported into pickup area 255 where the shopper would pick up the
items. Preferably, in pickup area 255, an employee of the store would
remove the items from conveyor belt 250 so they did not reenter the store
before the shopper could retrieve them.
The shopper, still separated from the items to be purchased, would proceed
past cashier stations 140, pay the cashier for the items purchased, and
leave store 1 through door 240. Before leaving through door 240, however,
the shopper would pass through gate 230 which would then detect any items
still in the possession of the shopper which had the theft identification
device. Such items would not have been paid for, because all purchased
items would have already been placed on conveyor 250. In this way, theft
from store 1 could be reduced significantly.
The advantages of the station in FIG. 6 include reduced cost due to the
station's requirement for fewer sensing gate systems and the placement of
those systems only at the store exits. Also, the sensitivity of the
sensing gate can be greater with the system in FIG. 6 than with even the
FIG. 5 system because there are fewer sources of interferences or causes
of false alarms at the exit. Furthermore, in addition to the advantages
discussed with regard to FIG. 5, an advantage of the checkout station in
FIG. 6 is that carts or baskets need not clutter the aisles at the cashier
stations and need not leave the store.
Another embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 7, uses basket
doors 350 in outer wall 351 of store 1 to provide egress means for
removing the items identified for purchase from the store. As shown in
FIG. 7, basket doors 350 lead from secure area 310 to the pickup area 355.
In addition to the advantages listed of the embodiment in FIG. 6, the
basket doors 350 are relatively inexpensive and basket carts can leave
secure area 310, thus reducing congestion in that area.
FIG. 8, which is another embodiment of the invention, further illustrates
the flexibility of this invention. In this invention, conveyor 15, aisle
85, register 70 and console 80 are as shown in FIG. 4, and in the way most
supermarkets are presently configured. In addition, basket doors 350 in
wall 351 and sensing gate 230 operate as shown in FIG. 7. There can also
be an optional basket door 352 which operates in the same manner as basket
door 350.
In operation, a shopper, as in conventional supermarkets, places items to
be purchased on a conveyor belt 15. A cashier at register 70 determines
the total cost of such items and places such items on the console 80. A
bag boy at console 80 places all such items into bags, places the bags
into shopping carts and then pushes the carts through basket doors 350 or
352.
The shopper pays for the items purchased at register 70 and leaves through
door 240 via gate 230. If the shopper has concealed on his or her person
any items containing a theft-prevention indicator, gate 230 will detect
such items.
The advantages of the system in FIG. 8 include all the advantages indicated
above with regard to the system shown in FIG. 7. In addition, the
embodiment of the invention in FIG. 8 requires the least amount of
redesign with the maximum sensitivity.
Although FIGS. 5-8 show different embodiments of the invention, it is
possible that a store can embody any combination of those concepts. For
example, a conveyor and basket doors can be used with the checkout station
in FIG. 5, or both basket doors and a conveyor can be used simultaneously.
To enhance the checkout stations of this invention further, a video camera
may be added above the scanner. This camera would be coupled to a monitor,
for example, in the manager's office. The camera and monitor augment the
store's supervision of the scanner and relieve the bag boys of the
responsibility of watching the customers at the scanner. FIG. 9 shows a
camera 500 positioned over a scanner 82. One camera can be used for each
scanner or a single camera can pan many scanners. An example of a camera
and monitor which can be used in accordance with the present invention is
the Sensor Vision.TM. Video System from Sensormatic Electronics Corp.
Camera 500 can be used with any of the embodiments of the checkout station
of the present invention, but the camera is particularly advantageous when
self-checkout is used because the present invention allows the use of
self-checkout and a camera to maximize automation of checkout stations.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and
variations can be made in the checkout stations methods and apparatus of
this invention. This invention in its broader aspect is not limited to the
specific details, representative methods and apparatus, and illustrative
examples shown and described. Accordingly, departure may be made from such
details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general
inventive concept.
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