Merchandise checkout system

Claim 1

A merchandise checkout system for use with a sales item bearing a bar code containing retail information, wherein a plurality of sales items chosen for purchase is defined as checkout items, the system comprising: a portable bar code reading component for use by a first clerk at a first mobile location, including: a first scanning means for optically reading the bar code; a first display means for displaying alphanumeric characters; a first input means for inputting retail information to complete an itemization of the checkout items, including an alphanumeric keypad with arithemetic functions for manual entry of input means including a pricw lookup key means, a save compound key means, an i put addition key means, an overring voiding key means, a register totalling key means, a delete input key means, and a final transaction key means; and a first printing means for generating a printed queue slip; a printed queue slip comprising a first part and a detachable second part printed by the first printing means for delivery to a customer, having thereon a queue bar code, a queue number, a balance due of the checkout items and an item count listed in the first part and a queue number, and item count and a balance due of the checkout items listed in the second detachable part; a cash register component for use by a second clerk at a second location, having: a second scanning means for selectively and optically reading the queue bar code and the bar code of each checkout item; a second printing means for generating a printed sales receipt; a second display means for displaying alphaaaaanumeric characters; and a second input means and a third display means for inputting retail information to complete an itemization of the checkout items, including an alphanumeric keypad with arithemetic functions for manual entry of input means including a price lookup key means, a save command key means, an input addition key means, a delete input key means, and a final transaction key means; a computing means for translating the bar code operably linked by a communication means to the bar code reading component and the cash register component, the computing means at least having: a database containing retail information for each sales item, the retail information at least including an item description and an item price for each sales item; a numeric sequence generator for generating a numeric sequence corresponding to a sequential order of each queue slip determined by the order iu which the queue slip is generated by the first printing means, and for assigning each queue slip with a queue number corresponding to its position in teh numeric sequence; a temporary holding memory for receiving and temporarily storing retail information and the queue number, which when the save command is entered defines in the temporary holding memory a checkout file; and a microprocessing means further comprising: means for retrieving the retail information from the database and translating it into the temporary holding memory in response to detection of the bar code by one of the first scanning means, the second scanning means, the first input means, and the second input means; means for generating the queue bar code from the retail information and the queue number held in the checkout file; means for comparing the queue number of each queue bar code scanned by the second scanning means with the numeric sequence to establish a correlating sequence of queue numbers sequentially presented at the cash register component; means for processing totals of the item prices of the checkout items; and a permanent storage memory for storage of a final transaction file.