Checkout-system arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9457965-B2
Application number	US-201314372886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2013
Priority date	Feb 17, 2012
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a checkout-system arrangement ( 10, 100 ), having an item-acquisition device ( 12 ) for acquiring selected items which comprises a scanner ( 18, 20, 22 ) for acquiring the items and a first conveyor belt ( 28 ) for conveying the items placed on the first conveyor belt ( 28 ). Furthermore, a packing device ( 16 ) is provided which comprises at least two item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ), which are separate from one another, for receiving the scanned items and for making the items available. Between the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and the packing device ( 16 ), a conveying device ( 14, 114 ) is provided which comprises a second conveyor belt ( 30, 130 ) by means of which, after conveying ( 28 ) by means of the first conveyor belt, the scanned items are conveyable to the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) of the packing device ( 16 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A checkout-system arrangement, comprising:
an item-acquisition device ( 12 ) for acquiring selected items, the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) having a scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) with a scanning region for acquiring the items and a first conveyor belt ( 28 ) for conveying the items located on the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) at least out of the scanning region of the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) along a scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ),
a conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) provided substantially adjacent to a downstream end of the first conveyor belt ( 28 ), the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) having a second conveyor belt ( 30 , 130 ) that receives scanned items conveyed by the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and conveys the scanned items along a scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), and
a packing device ( 16 ) arranged along one lateral side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) and having at least two item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) that are adjacent to one another in the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) being selectively combinable with one another and with the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) and being selectively separable from one another and from the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ), the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) having downwardly sloped delivery surfaces for receiving the scanned items and for delivering the items to a customer in directions substantially normal to the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ).

2. The check-out system arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the item-acquisition device ( 12 ), the packing device ( 16 ) and the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) are configured as separate modules that are selectively combinable with one another and selectively separable from one another.

3. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the modules ( 12 , 14 , 16 ) are interconnectable with one another by way of releasable and reinstatable connectors by means of provided interfaces that include at least one connecting element ( 44 ) extending parallel to the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ) and connecting to ends of the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) remote from the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ).

4. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 1 , wherein an orientation of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) relative to the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) is modifiable for modifying the orientation of the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ) relative to the scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ).

5. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 4 , wherein in a first operating position, the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) and the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) are arranged so that the scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ) and the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ) are identically oriented.

6. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 5 , wherein in a second operating position, the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) and the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) are arranged in such a manner that the scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ) and the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ) are orthogonal to one another.

7. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) and the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) form an internal corner in the second operating position, and the lateral side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) along which the packing device ( 16 ) is arranged defines part of the internal corner.

8. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 1 , the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) is a tunnel scanner.

9. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and the second conveyor belt ( 30 , 130 ) are arranged relative to one another so that the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ) is substantially orthogonal to the scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ) to partially overlap in a transition region in which the items are transferred from the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) to the second conveyor belt ( 30 , 130 ).

10. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) and the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) are arranged so that longitudinal axes of the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and of the second conveyor belt ( 130 ) are oriented identically, and wherein the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) is arranged at an end of the first conveyor belt ( 28 ), so that the items, immediately after acquisition by the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ), are transferred from the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) to the second conveyor belt ( 30 ).

11. The checkout-system arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising a rack ( 80 ) on a first longitudinal side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ), and the packing device ( 16 ) be arranged on a second side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) that is opposite the first side.

12. A checkout-system arrangement, comprising:
an item-acquisition device ( 12 ) for acquiring selected items, the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) having a scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) with a scanning region for acquiring the items and a first conveyor belt ( 28 ) for conveying the items located on the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) at least out of the scanning region of the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) along a scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ),
a conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) provided substantially adjacent to a downstream end of the first conveyor belt ( 28 ), the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) having a second conveyor belt ( 30 , 130 ) that receives scanned items conveyed by the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and conveys the scanned items along a scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), and
a packing device ( 16 ) arranged along one lateral side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) and having at least two item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) that are adjacent to one another in the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) being configured for receiving the scanned items and making the scanned items available to a customer, wherein the at least two item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) of the packing device ( 16 ) are separated from one another by a movable separation wall ( 32 a , 32 b , 34 a , 34 b , 36 a , 36 b , 38 a , 38 b , 40 a , 40 b , 42 a , 42 b ), and wherein a receiving volume of the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) is modifiable by moving the separation wall ( 32 a , 32 b , 34 a , 34 b , 36 a , 36 b , 38 a , 38 b , 40 a , 40 b , 42 a , 42 b ).

13. A checkout-system arrangement, comprising:
an item-acquisition device ( 12 ) for acquiring selected items, the item-acquisition device ( 12 ) having a scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) with a scanning region for acquiring the items and a first conveyor belt ( 28 ) for conveying the items located on the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) at least out of the scanning region of the scanner ( 18 , 20 , 22 ) along a scanned item receiving direction (P 1 ),
a conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) provided substantially adjacent to a downstream end of the first conveyor belt ( 28 ), the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) having a second conveyor belt ( 30 , 130 ) that receives scanned items conveyed by the first conveyor belt ( 28 ) and conveys the scanned items along a scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), and
a packing device ( 16 ) arranged along one lateral side of the conveying device ( 14 , 114 ) and having at least two item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) that are adjacent to one another in the scanned item delivery direction (P 2 ), the item-receiving units ( 32 to 42 ) being configured for receiving the scanned items and making the scanned items avail

Assignees

• Wincor Nixdorf Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Baitz Guenter
• Widmaier Dominik

Classifications

• A47F9/048

  automatically · CPC title

• B65G47/48 Primary

  according to bodily destination marks on either articles or load-carriers · CPC title

• A47F9/047

  for recording self-service articles without cashier or assistant · CPC title

• G07G1/0045 Primary

  with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader · CPC title