Patent ID: 7953606
Filing Date: 2011-05-31
Classification: G06Q,G07F,G07G

Abstract:
1. A shopping cart comprising: a basket unit having a basket section and an upper side, said basket unit having an article insertion box disposed over a first part of the upper side of the basket unit, said article insertion box having (i) an article insertion opening, a first lid and a first lock, said first lock and first lid providing a lockable/unlockable first lid member, covering said article insertion opening and (ii) an article conveying opening between said article insertion box and said basket unit, a second lid and a second lock, said second lock and second lid providing a lockable/unlockable second lid member covering said article conveying opening, and wherein the basket unit comprises a third lid and a third lock, said third lock and third lid providing a lockable/unlockable third lid member, said third lid member being disposed over an article removal opening in a second part of the upper side of the basket unit; and a checkout apparatus configured to include: an ID information inputting unit to input customer ID information; an article identification information reading unit that, when an article to be purchased is put in a basket section of the shopping cart, reads article identification information attached to the article; an article information acquiring unit that acquires article information of the article based on the article identification information read by the article identification information reading unit; a checkout process unit that performs a checkout process of a cost of the article from the article information acquired by the article information acquiring unit by using the customer ID information input by the ID information inputting unit, an article identification information inputting unit to input identification information of an article to be purchased; a delivery address information inputting unit to input information related to a delivery address of an article related to the identification information input by the article identification information inputting unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits the identification information input by the article identification inputting unit and delivery address information input by the delivery address information inputting unit to the store server, a lid opening/closing control section configured to automatically control an opening/closing operation of the lockable first lid member, the lockable second lid member and the lockable third lid member, wherein the article information acquiring unit acquires the article information of the article from the identification information input by the article identification information inputting unit, the lid opening/closing control section automatically opens the third lock of the lockable third lid member after the checkout process is completed, said ID information inputting unit comprises one of (1) a card information reading unit that includes a card slot for receiving a customer card and reads, as the customer ID information, information recorded on said customer card and (2) a connection unit comprising a mobile communication unit port that connects in a communicable manner the checkout apparatus to a mobile information terminal device of the customer, said checkout process unit is operative, upon completion of a checkout process for all articles, automatically to command one of (1) the card information reading unit to eject said customer card and (2) the connection unit to remove the connection of said mobile communication unit port, whereby power is automatically reduced or removed from said checkout apparatus, and each lid has its own designated locking mechanism which is lockable and unlockable automatically without any direct manual locking mechanism actuating input.