Abstract:
Apparatuses, methods and systems used to increase the utilization of customer operated terminals. A supervisor terminal automatically gathers information on customer transactions at both customer operated and assisted checkout terminals and then continuously displays utilization information for the customer operated terminals. An operator uses the information to determine when to take certain measures to increase the utilization of the customer operated terminals.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    An apparatus, method and system described herein relates generally to improvements to the operations of customer operated terminals. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in the performance and utilization of customer operated terminals. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Customer operated terminals allow customers to perform many different types of transactions with little or no direct assistance from employees that may monitor or control the terminals. As a result, businesses that utilize customer operated terminals have more flexibility in scheduling employees and they are better at handling variations in customer traffic than businesses that use all employee operated terminals. Businesses having only employee operated terminals (also known as assisted terminals) must have employee operators for each terminal before the terminal can be used. This requires businesses to anticipate the level of customer traffic that will occur during the day and to coordination work schedules so as to have the proper number of employees available to operate the terminals. 
         [0003]    The use of customer operated terminals along with operator assisted terminals reduces the burden on management to accurately anticipate customer traffic and allows more terminals to be used while requiring fewer employees to operate or monitor the terminals. However, this advantage is lost if customers do not use the customer operated terminals but instead wait in lines at operator assisted terminals. Most customer operated terminals are organized into terminal clusters with each cluster having a supervisor or monitoring terminal that allows an operator to monitor the activity of each self-checkout terminal in the cluster. From the supervisor terminal the operator can determine when a customer needs assistance and provide that help to assure that the customer has positive experience using the customer operated terminal. Additionally, the operator can take an active roll in guiding, recruiting and teaching customers to use a customer operated terminal. This increases the customer&#39;s comfort level for using the customer operated terminal and leads to higher levels of utilization for the customer operated terminals. The level of utilization for the customer operated terminals is a key component to their success. Therefore, what is needed is a way to increase the level of utilization for customer operated terminals. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of an embodiment of a self-checkout system. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of a supervisor terminal. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a high level flow diagram illustrating a method of operating the supervisor terminal. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0007]    In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the claimed invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the claimed invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments are possible. 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  provides a high-level block diagram illustrating a retail self-checkout terminal system  100 , which is also one embodiment of a customer operated terminal system. In this embodiment, four self-checkout terminals  120  are grouped together to form a terminal cluster  115 . Other embodiments may have terminal clusters that contains more or less than four self-checkout terminals  120 . A supervisor terminal  110  is connected to each of the self-checkout terminals  120  and provides services that control and monitor of the activities of each self-checkout terminal  120 . The terminal cluster  115  containing the self-checkout terminals  120  and the supervisor terminal  110  can be replicated as needed to increase the total number of self-checkout terminals  120 . A back-office server  125  is connected to the supervisor terminal  110  and the self-checkout terminals  120  over a computer data network  130 . 
         [0009]    Software executed by the supervisor terminal  110  monitors and controls the activity at each self-checkout terminal  120  in the cluster  115 . The self-checkout terminals  120  can function independently of the supervisor terminal  110 . However, certain events can occur that require store personnel (an operator) to intervene. For example, some items for purchase have age requirements that required the checking of an ID and in other cases a security feature might require an operator&#39;s input. The operator can walk to the self-checkout terminal  120  or in most cases the events can be handled from the supervisor terminal  110 , thus reducing the need to travel to the self-checkout terminal  120 . In addition to supervisor functions, the supervisor terminal  110  can also perform normal assisted checkout functions if needed. 
         [0010]    The back-office server  125  processes data and requests from each of the self-checkout terminals  120 , the supervisor terminal  110  and all assisted checkout terminals (terminals that require an operator). In addition, the back-office server  125  maintains information related to the activities of all terminals connected to the network  130 . The information maintained by the back-office server  125  includes a record of every transaction for each terminal and includes the type of terminal (i.e., self-checkout, assisted checkout or supervisor), items purchased, the dollar amount, time of the transaction and payment information. Using these records, software running on the back-office server  125  tracks the transactions for each terminal  120  and creates detailed statistical information which includes transactions per hour, transactions on self-checkout terminals, total transactions and other metrics. 
         [0011]    The installation of self-checkout terminals  120  along with assisted checkout terminals will not produce a positive return on investment unless the self-checkout terminals are utilized to process at least a certain percentage of the overall customer transactions. To aid in insuring proper utilization of the self-checkout terminals  120 , the back-office server  125  maintains both actual and target utilization information for the self-checkout terminals  120 . Management sets the target utilization information to achieve a desired return on investment for the self-checkout terminals  120 . The actual utilization information is calculated by using the total number of transactions performed at a self-checkout terminal and the total of all transactions performed at all types (self-checkout, assisted and supervisor) of checkout terminal. 
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is provides a high-level block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a supervisor terminal  110 . The supervisor terminal  110  comprises a processor module  220 , a memory module  225 , a hardware interface  215 , a network controller  230  and a display controller  210 . The hardware interface  215  contains computer logic necessary to interface with and control peripheral components that are attached to or part of the supervisor terminal  110  (e.g., a keyboard, a USB controller, a card reader, a scanner, a payment device or a cash drawer). The network controller  230  contains the computer logic needed to implement and control the computer data network  130 . The display controller  210  contains the computer logic needed to control and display information on an operator display device  205 . In this embodiment, the display device  205  is an LCD display. The processor module  220  contains at least one processor and bus control logic. The bus control logic implements and controls a bus  235  which is used to communicate with the other modules and devices connected to the bus  235 . The memory module  225  contains stored programs that are executed by the at least one processor to control the hardware and devices that are part of or attached to the supervisor terminal  110 . The stored programs also implement the software features and functions that are part of the supervisor terminal  110 . Updates to the stored programs are downloaded to the memory module  225  using numerous means including transmitting the updates over the data network  130  or using a portable memory device connected to a USB port (not shown) connected to the hardware interface  215 . 
         [0013]    An operator responsible for a terminal cluster  115  of self-checkout terminals  120  uses the supervisor terminal  110  to control and monitor the operations of each of the self-checkout terminals  120  in the cluster  115 . To perform these functions, the operator must first logon to the supervisor terminal  110  using a username and password. In alternate embodiments, other means are used to identify the operator to the supervisor terminal  110  such as biometrics or smart cards. Once logged in to the supervisor terminal  110 , the operator activates the self-checkout terminals  120  in the cluster  115 , which means they are now ready to be used by customers to perform a customer transaction. Stored programs executing on the supervisor terminal  110  communicate with the back-office server  125  and monitor and control the self-checkout terminals  120 . 
         [0014]    The stored programs in the supervisor terminal  110  monitor and receive data about activities that occur at each of the self-checkout terminals  120 . The activities can include detecting the presences of a customer, scanning an item, entering a code for an item, weighing an item, security alerts, equipment alerts and payment operations. The stored programs process the raw activity data to determine that a transaction has started and when it completes. The stored programs also maintain information on the number of transactions performed on the self-checkout terminals  120 . Some of the information, which is maintained by the supervisor terminal  110 , is calculated using the raw activity data retrieved directly from the self-checkout terminals  120 . While other pieces of the information are retrieved from the back-office server  125  or calculated in part by using information retrieved from both the back-office server  125  and the raw activity data from the self-checkout terminals  120 . Some of the information retrieved from the back-office server  125  includes the target utilization information for the self-checkout terminals and transaction information for assisted checkout terminals. 
         [0015]    The stored programs in the supervisor terminal  110  continuously display all or a portion of the maintained information on the operator display device  205  as long as the operator is logged-on to the supervisor terminal  110 . In some embodiments, store management can select what portion of the maintained information is displayed on the operator display device  205  and they can force the information to be displayed even when an operator is not logged on to the supervisor terminal  110 . Operators cannot change selections made by management and the information being continuously displayed is not the result of commands entered by the operator to display information. The information is displayed in an area of the screen that is separate from all other functions that are implemented by the supervisor terminal. The information is present on the screen no matter what other functions are being performed. 
         [0016]    The maintained information displayed on the operator display device  205  includes statistical information related to self-checkout transactions and the utilization of the self-checkout terminals. This information includes the actual percentage of total self-checkout transactions to all transactions, the target percentage for all self-checkout transactions and the deviation between the actual and target percentages. Other statistical information related to self-checkout transactions can also be displayed such as the actually number of transactions. 
         [0017]    Continuously displaying at least the deviation between the actual and target number of self-checkout transactions provides the operator with real-time feedback on how well the self-checkout terminals  120  are being utilized and allows the operator to adjust their time and actions as needed to increase the number of transactions that occur at the self-checkout terminals  120  versus assisted checkout terminals. These actions include announcing to customers standing in line at assisted checkout terminals that there are one or more self-checkout terminals  120  that are open for immediate checkout. The operator may further offer to assist the customer if they have any questions or if they do not have much experience using a self-checkout terminal  120 . These types of actions have been shown to increase the utilization of self-checkout terminals  120 . Furthermore, these actions increase customer satisfaction by reducing the wait time to checkout and by reducing the fear or confusion a customer may have when learning how to operate a self-checkout terminal. Providing continuously feedback to the operator (without input from the operator) in the form of self-checkout utilization information displayed on the operator display device  205  provides the necessary motivation for the operator to improve the utilization of the self-checkout terminals  120 . 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, the stored programs on the supervisor terminal  110  will continuously display some or all the transaction information even when no operator is logged-on to the terminal. The information can be displayed as part of a screen saver for the operator display device  205  or just as data that is displayed on the device along with login instructions. In either case, the information is continuously displayed and updated periodically. 
         [0019]    Now turning to  FIG. 3 , there is presented a high level flow diagram of one embodiment of stored software executing on the supervisor terminal  110 . This flow diagram starts at step  300  where control is transferred to a decision block  310  to determine if a self-checkout operator is logged-on to the supervisor terminal  110 . If an operator is logged on, control is passed to step  320  where transaction information for the self-checkout terminals control by the supervisor&#39;s terminal is displayed. If no operator is logged on to the supervisor&#39;s terminal, control is passed to step  330  where the supervisor terminal continues to monitor and gather data on the activities being performed by the self-checkout terminals  120 . In step  340 , the data that is gathered is statistically processed to create transaction information, which contains details about the transactions being performed by the self-checkout terminals  120 . After step  340 , control passes back to step  310 . 
         [0020]    It should be noted that other than the act of an operator logging onto the supervisor terminal  110 , no further action is required by the operator for the supervisor terminal  110  to display the transaction information. In fact, the operator cannot stop or change the information being displayed. Only store management can change the display of the transaction information. In this embodiment, the software will stop displaying the transaction information when the operator logs off the supervisor&#39;s terminal  110  (by issuing a logoff command). 
         [0021]    In other embodiments, the software will continue to display transaction information even when no operator is logged-on to the supervisor terminal  110 . The displaying of transaction information will occur automatically without an operator being logged into the supervisor terminal  110 . This allows operators that may pass by the supervisor terminal to see the transaction utilization information with out having to stop and logon to the supervisor terminal  110 . If the information indicates a low utilization, the operator may decide to recruit customers to use the self-checkout terminals in order to increase utilization of the self-checkout terminals. 
         [0022]    While the invention is disclosed in the context of a retail self-checkout embodiment, it will be recognized that a wide variety of implementations involving customer operated terminals may be employed by a person of ordinary skill in the art consistent with the above discussion and the claims, which follow below. In addition to the retail self-checkout implementation, other implementations include but are not limited to customer operated terminals used by retail music stores, hotels, restaurants, the U.S. Post Office, package carries, medical facilities, rental companies, airlines and transportation related industries. The customer operated terminals perform many different kinds of transaction such as previewing music, entering orders, weighing packages, check-in customers and renting cars or other equipment and can all benefit from the present invention.