EP0169649A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for reducing theft from a store
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1985-06-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-06-13
Abstract
Abstract A shopper entering by aisle 85 is dis-possessed of items identified for purchase, which are placed on a conveyor 15. The items are then removed from the conveyor 15 and passed over a scanner 82 which reads a code on the items and transmits information about the cost to a cash register station 140, the items then being placed on a console 80. The items contain theft prevention indicators and the presence of any such items in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed are deteted by a detection gate 10. After the total cost of the items has been printed and paid at the cash register station 140, which is located sufficiently far from the gate 10 to avoid electrical or magnetic interference, the shopper is returned possession of the items.
Inventors
- 👤 John J. Bogasky
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 04:03
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47F; A47F9/00; A47F9/02; A47F9/04; G; G07; G07G; G07G1/00; G07G1/0036; G07G1/0045; G07G1/0054; G07G1/01; G07G1/06; G07G3/00; G07G3/003
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A checkout station for reducing theft from a store containing items which are available for purchase by a shopper and which items carry theft prevention indicators comprising means, through which a shopper must pass to leave the store, for dis-possessing the shopper from those items from the store which the shopper identifies for purchase, sensing means for detecting the presence of items carrying theft prevention indicators in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase, cashier stations, physically separated from the sensing means to a sufficient extent to avoid electrical or magnetic interference with the sensing means, for printing the total cost of the items identified by the shopper for purchase and for receiving payment from the shopper corresponding to the total cost after the items identified for purchase have been dis-possessed from the shopper, and a pick-up 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 and after the payment has been received.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
180 words
A checkout station for reducing theft from a store containing items which are available for purchase by a shopper and which items carry theft prevention indicators comprising means, through which a shopper must pass to leave the store, for dis-possessing the shopper from those items from the store which the shopper identifies for purchase, sensing means for detecting the presence of items carrying theft prevention indicators in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase, cashier stations, physically separated from the sensing means to a sufficient extent to avoid electrical or magnetic interference with the sensing means, for printing the total cost of the items identified by the shopper for purchase and for receiving payment from the shopper corresponding to the total cost after the items identified for purchase have been dis-possessed from the shopper, and a pick-up 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 and after the payment has been received.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A checkout station according to claim 1 wherein the dis-possessing means includes a console onto which the items identified for purchase are placed, and a secure area located adjacent the console.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A checkout station according to claim 2 wherein the sensing means is located adjacent to the console.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A checkout station according to claim 2, further including egress means, between the secure area and the pick-up area, for removing the items identified for purchase from the store and an exit for the shopper from the store adjacent the pick-up area.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A checkout station according to claim 4 wherein the sensing means is located between the dis-possessing means and the shopper exit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
A checkout station according to claim 5 wherein the egress means includes a conveyor system operating between the interior and exterior of the store to carry the items identified for purchase out of the store.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A checkout station according to claim 5 wherein the egress means includes basket doors in an exterior wall of the store.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
A checkout station according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each cashier station includes a cash register.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A checkout station according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the sensing means detects the presence of theft prevention indicators including soft metal strips.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A checkout station according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the sensing means detects the presence of theft prevention indicators including detection tags.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
A checkout station according to any one of the preceding claims, further including self-checkout means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
A checkout station according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a scanner adjacent the dis-possessing means for reading information on the items identified for purchase to determine the total cost, and a video camera mounted above the scanner.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for reducing theft from a store containing items carrying theft prevention indicators, the method comprising the steps of dis-possessing a shopper of items identified by the shopper for purchase; detecting the presence of any items carrying theft prevention indicators still in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase; printing the total cost of the items identified by the shopper for purchase at a location separated far enough from the location of the detecting step to avoid interfering electrically or megnetically with the detecting step, and giving possession of the items identified for purchase to the shopper after the shopper has given to the store payment for the computed total cost for the items identified for purchase.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for reducing theft from a store containing items carrying theft prevention indicators, the method comprising the steps of dis-possessing a shopper of items identified by the shopper for purchase; detecting the presence of any items carrying theft prevention indicators still in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase; printing the total cost of the items identified by the shopper for purchase at a location separated far enough from the location of the detecting step to avoid interfering electrically or megnetically with the detecting step, and giving possession of the items identified for purchase to the shopper after the shopper has given to the store payment for the computed total cost for the items identified for purchase.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the detecting step includes the step of magnetically sensing soft metal carried by the items in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 13 wherein the detecting step includes the step of electro-magnetically sensing detection tags carried by the items in the possession of the shopper after the shopper has been dis-possessed of the items identified for purchase.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
29 words
A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the dis-possessing step includes the step of placing the items identified for purchase on a bag console.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
41 words
A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the dis-possessing step includes the step of removing the items identified for purchase from the store via a conveyor and wherein the detecting step occurs after the printing step.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
41 words
A method according to any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the dis-possessing step includes the step of removing the items identified for purchase from the store via basket doors and wherein the detecting step occurs after the printing step.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
40 words
A method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further including the step of viewing, by a video camera, a scanner which reads information on the items identified for purchase to determine the total cost to be printed.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4309697A
Cited
US4394645A
Cited
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