Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12417680-B2
Application number	US-202318454682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2023
Priority date	Nov 15, 2022
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment for point-of-sale systems includes a communication interface for connecting to a communication network and a processor. The processor is configured to acquire an image of an inside of a shopping basket via the communication interface, detect a commodity in the shopping basket in the acquired image, receive a commodity identification for a registered commodity in a sales transaction, and, if the commodity identification for the registered commodity is received within a preset time period around the detection of the commodity in the shopping basket, generate a screen image by superimposing commodity information associated with the commodity identification for the registered commodity on the image of the inside of the shopping basket for enabling a user to identify the commodity in the shopping basket in conjunction with the superimposed commodity information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus for point-of-sale systems, the apparatus comprising:
a communication interface for connecting to a communication network; and
a processor configured to:
acquire an image of an inside of a shopping container via the communication interface;
detect a commodity in the shopping container in the acquired image;
receive a commodity identification for a registered commodity in a sales transaction, the registered commodity being registered in the sales transaction using a point-of-sale terminal associated with the shopping container; and
if the commodity identification for the registered commodity is received within a preset time period around the detection of the commodity in the shopping container, generate a screen image by superimposing commodity information associated with the commodity identification for the registered commodity on the image of the inside of the shopping container for enabling a user to identify the commodity in the shopping container in conjunction with the superimposed commodity information, wherein

the processor detects a change in the number of commodities in the shopping container and outputs a notification when the number of commodities in the shopping container fails to match the number of registered commodities in the sales transaction, and
the processor is further configured to:
send the generated screen to an attendant terminal via the communication interface.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor detects the commodity in the shopping container by an object clipping processing on the acquired image.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to detect a second commodity in the shopping container in a second image of the inside of the shopping container acquired via the communication interface.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor detects the second commodity in the shopping container by an object clipping processing on the acquired second image.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor detects the change in the number of commodities in the shopping container based on a difference between images of the inside of the shopping container acquired at different times.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generated screen includes a total number of registered commodities in the shopping container and a notification of any detected but unregistered commodity in the shopping container.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generated screen includes a message when a total number of registered commodities in the shopping container does not match a total number of detected commodities in the shopping container.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
perform an error processing operation if a commodity is detected in the shopping container in a first image of the shopping container acquired after a startup operation.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the error processing operation is causing a guidance screen to be displayed on a display screen of a cart terminal associated with to the shopping container.

10. A point-of-sale system, comprising:
a plurality of cart terminals, each cart terminal including a camera positioned to image an inside of a shopping basket of a shopping cart associated with the cart terminal; and
an information processing apparatus including:
a communication interface for connecting to the plurality of cart terminals via a communication network; and
a processor configured to:
an image of an inside of a shopping basket from a cart terminal via the communication interface;
detect a commodity in the shopping basket in the acquired image;
receive a commodity identification for a registered commodity that has been registered in a sales transaction using the cart terminal; and
if the commodity identification for the registered commodity is received within a preset time period around the detection of the commodity in the shopping basket, generate a screen image by superimposing commodity information associated with the commodity identification for the registered commodity on the image of the inside of the shopping basket for enabling a user to identify the commodity in the shopping basket in conjunction with the superimposed commodity information, wherein

the processor detects a change in the number of commodities in the shopping basket and outputs a notification when the number of commodities in the shopping basket fails to match the number of registered commodities in the sales transaction, and
the point-of-sale system further comprises:
an attendant terminal connected to the information processing apparatus via the communication network, wherein
the processor of the information processing apparatus is further configured to:
send the generated screen to the attendant terminal via the communication network.

11. The point-of-sale system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor detects the commodity in the shopping basket by an object clipping processing on the acquired image.

12. The point-of-sale system according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to detect a second commodity in the shopping basket in a second image of the inside of the shopping basket acquired via the communication network.

13. The point-of-sale system according to claim 10 , wherein the processor detects the change in the number of commodities in the shopping basket based on a difference between images of the inside of the shopping basket acquired at different times.

14. The point-of-sale system according to claim 10 , wherein the generated screen includes a total number of registered commodities in the shopping basket and a notification of any detected but unregistered commodity in the shopping basket.

15. The point-of-sale system according to claim 10 , wherein the generated screen includes a message when a total number of registered commodities in the shopping basket does not match a total number of detected commodities in the shopping container.

16. An information processing method for point-of-sale systems, the method comprising:
acquiring an image of an inside of a shopping container via a communication interface;
detecting a commodity in the shopping container in the acquired image;
receiving, via the communication interface, a commodity identification for a registered commodity in a sales transaction, the registered commodity being registered in the sales transaction using a point-of-sale terminal associated with the shopping container;
if the commodity identification for the registered commodity is received within a preset time period around the detection of the commodity in the shopping container, generating a screen image by superimposing commodity information associated with the commodity identification for the registered commodity on the image of the inside of the shopping container for enabling a user to identify the commodity in the shopping container in conjunction with the superimposed commodity information;
detecting a change in the number of commodities in the shopping container and outputting a notification when the number of commodities in the shopping container fails to match the number of registered commodities in the sales transaction; and
sending the generated screen to an attend

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Gotanda Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• G06V10/16

  using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching · CPC title

• G06V10/26

  Segmentation of patterns in the image field; Cutting or merging of image elements to establish the pattern region, e.g. clustering-based techniques; Detection of occlusion · CPC title

• G06V20/64

  Three-dimensional [3D] objects · CPC title

• G07G1/01

  Details for indicating · CPC title

• G06V20/52

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title