System for reading out bar coded labels

Claim 1

A system for reading out bar coded labels, comprising: at least one television camera means for picking up a bar coded label affixed to an item for producing a video signal indicating an array of bar codes printed on the bar coded label; a single video signal writing and reading unit including means for writing said video signal from said television camera means therein as a spatial video pattern and for scanning said written video pattern while changing a scanning direction of said written video pattern thereby to read out as an electrical signal said video pattern therefrom; and a signal extraction unit including means for processing said electrical signal read out from said video signal writing and reading unit to extract said array of bar codes on said label.

Claim 2

A system for reading out bar coded labels, comprising: at least one television camera means for picking up a bar coded label affixed to an item for producing a video signal indicating an array of bar codes printed on the bar coded label; a single video signal writing and reading unit including means for writing said video signal from said television camera means therein as a spatial video pattern and for scanning said written video pattern while changing a scanning direction of said written video pattern thereby to read out as an electrical signal said video pattern therefrom; and a signal extraction unit including means for processing said electrical signal read out from said video signal writing and reading unit to extract said array of bar codes on said label.

Claim 5

A system for reading out bar coded labels, comprising: a plurality of register units, each unit including a pickup section having a television camera to pick up bar coded labels affixed to goods, and a register section for effecting receipts and payments of cash; a single writing and reproducing unit operatively coupled to all of said plurality of register units and including a first multiplexer and a video signal writing and reading unit, said first multiplexer switching said video signals from said respective television cameras in a predetermined order to deliver said switched video signals to said video signal writing and reading unit, said video signal writing and reading unit including a plain writing means for writing said video signals entered thereinto into said plain writing means in the same pattern as the intact video signals picked up by the associated television cameras, and means for reading out said written video signals from said plain writing portion one at a time while charging a scanning direction of said written video signals; a signal extraction unit including video processing means for converting said video signal read out from said video signal writing and reading unit to a digital signal, data detector means for determining whether or not said digital signal is a regular coded signal, and a second multiplexer for delivering said regular coded signals from said data detector means to said register section disposed in an associated one of said register units; and control means for controlling the switching operation of said first multiplexer, the writing and reading of said video signal writing and reading unit and the switching operation of said second multiplexer.

Claim 6

A system for reading out bar coded labels, comprising: a plurality of register units, each unit including a pickup section having a television camera to pick up bar coded labels affixed to goods, and a register section for effecting receipts and payments of cash; a single writing and reproducing unit operatively coupled to all of said plurality of register units and including a first multiplexer and a video signal writing and reading unit, said first multiplexer switching said video signals from said respective television cameras in a predetermined order to deliver said switched video signals to said video signal writing and reading unit, said video signal writing and reading unit including a plain writing means for writing said video signals entered thereinto into said plain writing means in the same pattern as the intact video signals picked up by the associated television cameras, and means for reading out said written video signals from said plain writing portion one at a time while charging a scanning direction of said written video signals; a signal extraction unit including video processing means for converting said video signal read out from said video signal writing and reading unit to a digital signal, data detector means for determining whether or not said digital signal is a regular coded signal, and a second multiplexer for delivering said regular coded signals from said data detector means to said register section disposed in an associated one of said register units; and control means for controlling the switching operation of said first multiplexer, the writing and reading of said video signal writing and reading unit and the switching operation of said second multiplexer.