Point-of-sale system that measures radioactivity of a product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9905087-B2
Application number	US-201615374119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 8, 2011
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

POS system checks for radioactive contamination of products without increasing any personnel workload. The POS system includes: a storage means for storing a product code and a radioactivity threshold defined for each product code in association with each other; a barcode scanner; a radioactivity measurement part for measuring radioactivity of a product based on a radiation dose emitted from the product; a comparison means for comparing a radioactivity threshold associated with the product code read by the barcode scanner with a radioactivity measurement value measured by the radioactivity measurement part; and alarm an output means for outputting an alarm when the radioactivity measurement value exceeds the radioactivity threshold. The radioactivity measurement part is arranged at such a position that, when the product exists at a scanning position (A) where the product code is read with the barcode scanner, the radioactivity measurement part detects the radioactivity of the product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A point of sale (POS) system, comprising:
a memory configured to store a price look up (PLU) file, wherein the PLU file is registered with a product code for identifying a product and a radioactivity threshold which is the product information defined for each product code in association with each other;
a bagging counter to place the product;
a scanning window fixed to the bagging counter;
a barcode scanner configured to generate a scanning light and to read, via the scanning window, the product code from a barcode attached to the product;
a radioactivity measurement part configured to measure, via the scanning window, radioactivity of the product based on a radiation dose emitted from the product placed on the bagging counter;
a processor configured to compare the radioactivity threshold which is associated with the product code read by the barcode scanner and which is acquired from the PLU file with a radioactivity measurement value measured by the radioactivity measurement part;
an alarm output part configured to output an alarm when the radioactivity measurement value exceeds the radioactivity threshold; and
wherein the barcode scanner and the radioactivity measurement part are arranged on one and another ends of a lower side of the scanning window, respectively,
wherein the radioactivity measurement part is arranged at such a position that, when the product exists at a scanning position where the product code is read with the barcode scanner, the radioactivity measurement part detects the radioactivity of the product,
wherein the radioactivity measurement part is a dosimeter which detects β rays;
wherein the dosimeter is fixed to the bagging counter at a location remote from the barcode scanner, and
wherein the scanning window is made of a light-transmissive member so as to transmit the scanning light and the β rays.

2. The POS system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a user input interface configured to receive an input of a quantity of the product,
wherein, in response to the product being measured by the radioactivity measurement part at substantially a same time as a quantity being inputted via the user interface, the processor invalidates the input quantity.

3. The POS system according to claim 1 , wherein the alarm output part comprises a display configured to display the alarm.

4. The POS system according to claim 1 , wherein the alarm output part comprises a display having a speaker configured to output a sound for the alarm.

5. A method of detecting radioactivity of a product in a point of sale (POS) system, comprising:
storing, in a memory, a price look up (PLU) file, where the PLU file is registered with a product code for identifying a product and a radioactivity threshold which is product information defined for each product code in association with each other;
reading, by a barcode scanner through a scanning window fixed to a bagging counter, the product code from a barcode attached to the product;
measuring, by a radioactivity measurement part through the scanning window, radioactivity of the product based on a radiation dose emitted from the product placed on the bagging counter;
comparing, by a processor, the radioactivity threshold which is associated with the product code read by the barcode scanner and which is acquired from the PLU file with a radioactivity measurement value measured by the radioactivity measurement part; and
outputting an alarm based on the comparison,
wherein, in response to the measurement value exceeding the radioactivity threshold, the alarm is output via one of a speaker and a display, and
wherein the measuring of the radioactivity of the product and the reading of the barcode of the product are performed at substantially a same time,
wherein the barcode scanner and the radioactivity measurement part are arranged on one and another ends of a lower side of the scanning window, respectively,
wherein the radioactivity measurement part is a dosimeter which detects β rays,
wherein the dosimeter is fixed to the bagging counter at a location remote from the barcode scanner, and
wherein the scanning window is made of a light-transmissive member so as to transmit a scanning light of the barcode scanner and the β rays.

Assignees

• Nec Platforms Ltd

Inventors

• Takane Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G07G1/0054 Primary

  with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles · CPC title

• G01T7/12

  Provision for actuation of an alarm · CPC title

• G06K7/10544

  by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum · CPC title

• G01T1/18

  with counting-tube arrangements, e.g. with Geiger counters (tubes H01J47/08; {with alarm provision G01T7/125}) · CPC title