Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025384747-A1
Application number	US-202519303245-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 18, 2025
Priority date	Nov 15, 2022
Publication date	Dec 18, 2025
Grant date	—

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 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, 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; and
send the generated screen image 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 a 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 image 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 image includes a notification 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 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a change in the number of commodities in the shopping container.

11 . 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; an attendant terminal with a display screen; and an information processing apparatus including:
a communication interface for connecting to the plurality of cart terminals and the attendant terminal 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 in a sales transaction associated with the cart terminal;
if commodity identification the 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; and
send the generated screen image to the attendant terminal.

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

13 . The point-of-sale system according to claim 12 , 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.

14 . The point-of-sale system according to claim 11 , wherein the processor detects a 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.

15 . The point-of-sale system according to claim 11 , wherein the generated screen image includes a total number of registered commodities in the shopping basket and a notice indicating any detected but unregistered commodity in the shopping basket.

16 . The point-of-sale system according to claim 11 , wherein the generated screen image includes a notification when a total number of registered commodities in the shopping basket does not match a total number of detected commodities in the shopping container.

17 . The point-of-sale system according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a change in the number of commodities in the shopping container.

18 . 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 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; and sending the generated screen image to an attendant terminal via the communication interface.

19 . The information processing method according to claim 18 , wherein the commodity in the shopping container is detected by an object clipping processing on the acquired image.

20 . The information processing method according to claim 18 , further comprising:
detecting a change in the number of commodities in the shopping container.

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