Devices, systems, and methods for optical validation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10325436-B2
Application number	US-201615388082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 31, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

Existing currency validation (CVAL) devices, systems, and methods are too slow, costly, intrusive, and/or bulky to be routinely used in common transaction locations (e.g., at checkout, at an automatic teller machine, etc.). Presented herein are devices, systems, and methods to facilitate optical validation of documents, merchandise, or currency at common transaction locations and to do so in an obtrusive and convenient way. More specifically, the present invention embraces a validation device that may be used alone or integrated within a larger system (e.g., point of sale system, kiosk, etc.). The present invention also embraces methods for currency validation using the validation device, as well as methods for improving the quality and consistency of data captured by the validation device for validation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A point of sale system, comprising:
a cash register for registering and calculating transactions at a point of sale;
a handheld imager communicatively coupled to the cash register, the handheld imager operable in either (i) an indicia reading mode for reading indicia as part of a checkout process or (ii) in a currency validation mode (CVAL mode) for validating currency as part of a checkout process; wherein
in the CVAL mode, the handheld imager is configured to illuminate a currency item in a field of view with illumination flashes from one or more light sources each having a different spectral profile and directed generally away from the handheld imager and is configured to capture at least one image of the currency item for each illumination flash to obtain a plurality of digital images of the currency item illuminated by the different spectral profiles and comprising at least one of reflected and luminescent images for each of the one or more light sources having a different spectral profile flashed, and wherein
in the indicia reading mode, the handheld imager is configured to capture a digital image of an indicia item in the field of view, and process the digital image to recognize and decode one or more indicia found in the digital image, the CVAL mode and the indicia reading mode each comprising a mode of operation of the handheld imager.

2. The point of sale system according to claim 1 , wherein the handheld imager comprises processing circuitry and the mode of operation is set by signals from the processing circuitry, wherein the signals are generated by the processing circuitry in response to an analysis of the captured image.

3. The point of sale system according to claim 1 , wherein the cash register is further configured to output signals, wherein the mode of operation is set by the signals from the cash register in response to a transaction event.

4. The point of sale system according to claim 1 , wherein the handheld imager comprises interface circuitry and the mode of operation is set by signals from the interface circuitry, wherein the signals are generated by the interface circuitry in response to user input.

5. The point of sale system according to claim 4 , wherein the interface circuitry includes at least one of:
a trigger switch and the mode of operation is set by a movement of the trigger switch and
a microphone and the mode of operation is set by voice command spoken into the microphone.

Assignees

• Hand Held Prod Inc

Inventors

• Van Horn Erik
• Germaine Gennady
• Allen Christopher
• Ryder David
• Poloniewicz Paul
• Saber Kevin
• Kearney Sean Philip
• Hatton Edward
• Bremer Edward C
• Miraglia Michael Vincent
• Pierce Robert
• Rapoport William Ross
• Guiheen James Vincent
• Patel Chirag
• Giordano Patrick Anthony
• Good Timothy
• Rueblinger Gregory

Classifications

• G07D2207/00

  Paper-money testing devices · CPC title

• G07D7/12

  Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation · CPC title

• G06K7/10732

  Light sources · CPC title

• G07D7/2016

  using feature extraction, e.g. segmentation, edge detection or Hough-transformation · CPC title

• G07G3/00

  Alarm indicators, e.g. bells · CPC title