Abstract:
A checkout-system for retail is disclosed for secure and comfortable checkout of collected articles, whereby the customer scans the articles with a mobile article scanner by itself, and whereby the checkout-system includes a security system with an RFID scanner to scan RFID-transponder placed on the articles to identify whether all articles bought by the customer were scanned.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a checkout-system for retail for secure and comfortable checkout of retail articles collected by customers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In modern retail shops, for example supermarkets, the customers or purchaser collect articles exhibited in the show room before each article is bought by the customer or purchaser. For this, many supermarkets have shopping carts (also called trolley) so that a customer or purchaser could transport the collected articles to a checkout counter. At the checkout counter, the customer or purchaser buy the collected articles by paying the total price of all collected articles. For example, the payment could done in cash or using debit or credit cards. 
         [0003]    To calculate the total price of all collected articles of a customer, a cashier of the checkout counter registers each article so that the sum of the price of each registered article is the total price to be paid by the customer. In modern supermarkets, each article is electronically scanned by the cashier using for example a barcode scanner so that each article could identified. Based on the article identification, the price of the scanned article is obtained from a supermarket database. 
         [0004]    In the most cases, each article has a machine-readable identification, for example a barcode or a QR-code. This optical machine-readable identification is placed on the articles, especially on the package of the article. On each checkout counter, an optical scanner is arranged for using by the cashier on the checkout counter so that the cashier could scan each article by using the checkout counter scanner for registering each collected article from customer. 
         [0005]    However, these well-known checkout procedure in modern supermarkets are very uncomfortable for the customer and the cashier, because each article collected by the customer have to put from the shopping cart on the checkout counters table and each article on the checkout counters table have to scan manually by the cashier at the checkout counter. After scanning, each article have to put from the checkout counters table back to the shopping cart. This is slow and stressful for all person involved in the process. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to give a new checkout-system for a fast and stressless checkout procedure with a maximum security. 
         [0007]    The problem is solved by the new and inventive checkout-system related to claim  1 . 
         [0008]    Therefore, a new checkout-system for retail for secure and comfortable checkout of collected retail articles is claimed, whereby the checkout-system includes a plurality of mobile article scanner for scanning the retail articles by the customer or purchaser. Each mobile article scanner is arranged to scan machine-readable identifications placed on the articles or the packages of the articles. Such mobile article scanner could be a mobile barcode scanner for scanning a barcode placed on the article or the packages of the article, whereby the machine-readable identification placed on the article could be a barcode or a QR-code, for example an optical scannable code. 
         [0009]    These mobile article scanners are arranged for using by customer or purchaser who wants to buy the scanned articles. Therefore, the mobile article scanner are not placed on checkout counters for using by a cashier exclusively. A customer or purchaser takes an article from the supermarket shelf in the supermarket showroom and scan the machine-readable identification, e.g. a barcode, by using the mobile article scanner to scan the taken article. After the scanning process, the customer or purchaser puts the scanned article in his or her shopping cart. 
         [0010]    Each mobile article scanner is connected with a register unit of the supermarket, for example via a wireless communication. The register unit is arranged to register each scanned article scanned by the customer using the mobile article scanner of the customer. For this, the mobile article scanner scans the machine-readable identification and transferred the identification to the register unit to register the scanned article. To identify, which registered article was scanned by which customer, the register unit is arranged to assign each scanned article to the customer who has scanned the corresponding article using one of the mobile article scanner. For example, this could be done by assign an identification of the mobile scanner used by the customer to scan the collected articles to the scanned articles, which was scanned by the corresponding mobile scanner. Thereto, a further example is to assign an identification of the shopping cart used by the customer to collect his scanned articles to the scanned articles scanned by the mobile article scanner of said customer. 
         [0011]    Furthermore, the inventive checkout-system has one or more checkout counters, whereby each checkout counter is arranged to identify all registered articles scanned by a customer who wants to pay his collected and scanned articles. The checkout counter is connected to the register unit via a communication connection and is arranged to identify all registered articles of the customer, for example based on a distinct identification of the customer, e.g. an identification of the mobile scanner or identification of a shopping cart. Furthermore, the checkout counter has a payment system, which is arranged to pay said identified articles identified from the register unit by said customer who wants to buy his collected articles. The payment system is arranged to pay the identified articles via cash or via credit or debit cart. Further payment procedures are possible, for example to pay via smartphone or near field communication (NFC). 
         [0012]    Furthermore, the checkout-system of the present invention includes a security system to raise the security in regard to shoplifting. Because with the inventive checkout-system, it is more easily to not pay some articles by not scanning these articles. Therefore, a security system is arranged in the supermarket including one or more RFID scanner for scanning RFID transponder placed on the articles. In fact, there is a distinction between the machine-readable identifications arranged to scan by the mobile article scanner and the RFID transponder arranged to scan by RFID scanner. 
         [0013]    The security system, furthermore, is arranged to identify all collected articles by scanning the RFID transponders on the collected articles, so that the security system knows all about the collected articles. For example, these collected articles are put in the shopping cart and the security system identifies all articles in the shopping cart or near a customer by scanning all RFID-transponders of the articles by the RFID scanner. The RFID scanner could arranged on the exit of the supermarket. 
         [0014]    Furthermore, the security system is arranged to identify all registered articles scanned by said customer from said register unit, for example by scanning a customer identification (identification of the mobile article scanner or an identification of the shopping cart). At this time, the security system knows all collected articles scanned by the RFID-transponder and knows all registered articles scanned by the customer. The security system compares each other and trigger an alarm if at least one identified collected article is not included in the identified registered articles. In this case, the customer do not pay at least one of the collected articles, because the customer did not scan the missing article. 
         [0015]    With the present invention, it is possible to reduce to overhead on the checkout counter, because the customers scan and register the articles by itself. Furthermore, with the present invention it is possible to raise the security in the case of these self-service checkout procedures without to increase rapidly the costs of such systems. 
         [0016]    Regarding to an embodiment, the one or more RFID scanner of the security system are positioned before and/or behind of said one or more checkout counters. Preferably, the RFID scanner or the security system are positioned behind of the one or more checkout counters, for example in an exit zone of the supermarket. 
         [0017]    In a further embodiment, the numbers of RFID scanner are less than the numbers of checkout counters. 
         [0018]    In a further embodiment, each mobile article scanner is an optical scanner, especially an optical barcode scanner and said machine-readable identifications are optical machine-readable identifications especially barcode or QR-code identifications. 
         [0019]    In a further embodiment, the inventive checkout-system includes a plurality of shopping carts, each shopping cart has a machine-readable identification to identify each shopping cart. At first, the one or more checkout counters have a shopping cart scanner to scan said machine-readable identification placed on the shopping cart, so that the one or more checkout counter could identify all registered articles scanned by said customer based on the scanned machine-readable identification of said scanned shopping cart. In the register unit, each article scanned by the customers of the supermarket are assigned to a corresponding identification of the shopping cart used by the corresponding customer to identify each scanned article scanned by a customer by using the identification of the shopping cart. 
         [0020]    At second, the security assistant includes furthermore a shopping cart scanner to scan said machine-readable identification placed on the shopping cart so that also the security system could identify all registered articles scanned by the customer of the shopping cart by using the shopping cart identification. This is necessary to compare the collected articles scanned by the RFID-transponder and the registered articles scanned by the customer itself. 
         [0021]    In other words, the shopping cart identification is an identification to identify each shopping cart and to assign all scanned articles to a precise shopping cart used by the customer who scanned the scanned and registered articles. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the machine-readable identifications based on the shopping cart are optical machine-readable identifications, especially barcode identifications, and said shopping cart scanner is an optical scanner, especially an optical barcode scanner. Furthermore, the machine-readable identification placed on the shopping cart could be a RFID-transponder and said shopping cart scanner is an RFID scanner. 
         [0023]    In a further embodiment, the one or more checkout counters and/or the security system are arranged to identify the mobile article scanners used by customers for scanning articles to identify the articles scanned by the corresponding mobile scanner. For this, each mobile article scanner has a machine-readable identification to identify each mobile article scanner so that each article scanned with a mobile article scanner is assigned to the identification (ID) of the corresponding mobile article scanner, which scans the assigned article. Therefore, the one or more checkout counters and/or the security system are arranged to identify all registered articles scanned by a customer using the corresponding mobile article scanner based on the identification of the mobile article scanner. 
         [0024]    Preferably, the mobile article scanners are placed on the shopping cart. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0025]    The present invention is described in more detail by reference to the following figure: 
           [0026]      FIG. 1 -schematic depiction of the inventive checkout-system 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows the inventive checkout-system  10  included in a supermarket for retail products. The supermarket has a plurality of shelves  11 , in which the retail products  12 , called articles, are stored. The shelves  11  are placed in the showroom of the supermarket. 
         [0028]    Further, the supermarket has a plurality of checkout counters  13  (only one is shown) whereby on the checkout counter  13  is sitting a cashier  14  to assist a customer or purchaser  15  during the payment procedure of the collected articles. 
         [0029]    Furthermore, the supermarket has a plurality of shopping carts  16  for using by a customer  15  so that the customer  15  could transport the collected articles from the shelves  11  to the checkout counter  13 . Therefore, a customer  15  takes the wanted articles from the shelves  11  and put it in the shopping cart  16  for transporting. 
         [0030]    Based on the present invention, the checkout-system  10  has a plurality of mobile article scanner  17  arranged for using by a customer  15 . Each presented article  12  in the shelves  11  have a machine-readable identification in the form of a barcode  18 , whereby the mobile article scanner  17  is arranged to scan the barcode  18  and to determine a distinct identification of the scanned article based on the scan procedure. 
         [0031]    For example, if a customer  15  enter the supermarket, the customer get a mobile article scanner  17  for its own use. If a customer  15  wants an article  12 , the customer takes the wanted articles from the shelves  11  and scans the barcode  18  on the taken articles by the mobile article scanner  17 . After scanning, the customer  15  puts the scanned articles in its shopping cart  16  (scanned article in shopping cart  19 ). 
         [0032]    Each mobile article scanner  17  is, furthermore, connected with a register unit  20 , which could be a computer or a server system. The connection between the mobile article scanner  17  and the register unit  20  is preferably wireless, for example via WLAN, GSM or near field communication. 
         [0033]    If a customer  15  scans a barcode  18  of an article  12  with its mobile article scanner  17 , the mobile article scanner  17  determines the distinct identification of the article  12  from the scanned barcode  18  and transferred this digital identification to the register unit  20  to register a scanned article for the customer  15 . Each scanned and registered article in the register unit  20  is assigned to the customer  15  who has scanned this corresponding article using the mobile article scanner  17 . For this purpose, the customer  15  is identified by an ID, for example an ID of the mobile article scanner  17  or an ID of the shopping cart  16  used by the customer  15 . This customer ID and the identification of the scanned article is transferred to the register unit to register the scanned article in conjunction to the customer who has scanned the article. 
         [0034]    For checkout, the customer  15  goes with its shopping cart  16  to one of the checkout counter  13 . The checkout counter  13  is arranged to identify all registered articles scanned by the customer  15 . For this purpose, the checkout counter  13  has for example a shopping cart scanner  21  used by the cashier  14 . With the shopping cart scanner  21 , the cashier  14  scans a machine-readable identification  22  placed on the shopping cart  16 . This machine-readable identification  22  of the shopping cart  16  could be also a barcode. 
         [0035]    Based on the distinct identification of the shopping cart  16 , the checkout counter  13  identifies all scanned and registered articles, which are assigned to the scanned identification of the shopping cart  16 . Therefore, the checkout counter  13  is connected to the register unit  20 . 
         [0036]    After all registered articles are identified, the customer  15  is paying the scanned and registered articles via cash or for example via credit or debit cart. Therefore, the checkout counter  13  has a payment system  23  so that the customer  15  could pay its articles. 
         [0037]    Behind of the checkout counters  13  in the vicinity of the exit of the supermarket a security system  30  is installed, which includes one or more RFID scanner  31 . The security system  30  is connected with the register unit  20  and with the RFID scanner  31 . 
         [0038]    On each article  12 , furthermore, is placed an RFID-transponder  32  to detect or identify the article  12  via RFID scanner  31 . In the broadest meaning, it is necessary that the RFID scanner  31  counts the quantity of collected articles  19  in the shopping cart  16  if the customer  15  is in the vicinity of the RFID scanner  31  in direction to the exit of the supermarket. To identify the collected articles by scanning the RFID-transponders of the collected articles via RFID scanner  31  means in the broadest meaning that the quantity of the articles in the shopping cart  16  is counted. 
         [0039]    Furthermore, in  FIG. 1 , the RFID scanner has a shopping cart scanner  33  to scan the shopping cart barcode  22  placed on the shopping cart  16 , if a customer  15  pushes the shopping cart  16  through the RFID scanner  31 . The shopping cart scanner  33  scans the shopping cart barcode  22  and detect the distinct identification of the shopping cart  16 . Based on the distinct identification of the shopping cart  16 , the security system  30  identifies all registered articles assigned to the shopping cart identification of the shopping cart  16 . 
         [0040]    The security system  30  compares the identified registered articles delivered from the register unit  20  and the scanned articles scanned by the RFID scanner  31  and is arranged to trigger an alarm if at least one identified collected article in the shopping cart  16  is not included in the identified registered articles. In this case, the customer forgot to scan an article before he put the article in the shopping cart  16 .