Simultaneous item scanning in a POS system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9569765-B2
Application number	US-201414473826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A plurality of items is positioned in a volume scanned by a three-dimensional non-optical imaging system. The imaging system generates a three-dimensional voxel image of the volume. Voxel regions are identified and surfaces of voxel regions are analyzed to identify a symbol printed thereon. The symbols are resolved into product identifiers, which are then added to a transaction and payment for the transaction is processed. The imaging system may be a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, computed tomography (CT) scanning system, terahertz (T wave) imaging system, or other imaging system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a point of sale system for processing a retail transaction for a plurality of retail products;
providing a non-optical three-dimensional imaging system coupled to the point of sale system, the imaging system comprising at least one of a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system, a computed tomography (CT) scanning system, and a terahertz imaging system;
scanning, by the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system a volume occupied by the plurality of retail products to obtain a three dimensional voxel image of the volume;
processing, by a computer system, the three dimensional voxel image to identify three-dimensional voxel regions, each three-dimensional voxel region corresponding to a product of the plurality of retail products;
identifying, by the computer system, for each three-dimensional voxel region, a symbol on a surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region;
identifying, by the computer system, for each three-dimensional voxel region, a product identifier corresponding to the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region;
adding, by the point of sale system, the product identifiers for each three dimensional voxel region to the retail transaction; and
processing, by the point of sale system, payment for the retail transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a computed tomography (CT) scanning system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a terahertz imaging system.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises two or more of:
a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system;
a computed tomography (CT) scanning system; and
a terahertz imaging system.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises an optical code.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises a universal product code.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises a textual product name.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving a receptacle containing the plurality of products through the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving a receptacle containing the plurality of products through the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system on a conveyor belt.

11. A system comprising:
a point of sale system for processing a retail transaction for one or more retail products;
a non-optical three-dimensional imaging system coupled to the point of sale system, the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system having in a viewable area thereof a volume, wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises at least one of a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system, a computed tomography (CT) scanning system, and a terahertz imaging system; and
a computer system, coupled to the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system and operable to receive a three dimensional voxel image of the one or more retail products within the volume from the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system, the computer system further programmed to:
process the three dimensional voxel image to identify three-dimensional voxel regions;
identify for each three-dimensional voxel region, a symbol on a surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region; and
identify, for each three-dimensional voxel region, a product identifier corresponding to the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region,

wherein the point of sale system is configured to:
add the product identifiers for each three dimensional voxel region to the retail transaction; and
process payment for the retail transaction.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a computed tomography (CT) scanning system.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises a terahertz imaging system.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system comprises two or more of:
a magnetic resonance imager (MRI) system;
a computed tomography (CT) scanning system; and
a terahertz imaging system.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises an optical code.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises a universal product code.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the symbol on the surface of the each three-dimensional voxel region comprises a textual product name.

19. The system of claim 11 , further comprising an actuator moving a receptacle through the non-optical three-dimensional imaging system.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the actuator is a conveyor belt.

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Cancro Richard Neil
• Acker Jr Joel Bennett
• Pedley Douglas James

Classifications

• G07G1/0036

  Checkout procedures · CPC title

• G06Q20/208 Primary

  Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing · CPC title

• G06K7/10

  by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation · CPC title

• G06T7/00

  Image analysis · CPC title

• G06T15/08

  Volume rendering · CPC title