Electronic shopping cart

The present invention discloses an electronic shopping cart comprising sensor unit, processing unit and display unit. The sensor unit comprises various sensors placed at each corner of the cart and sensory net placed at base of the cart. At least one sensory line connects sensors and sensory net. The sensors generate sensor data by detecting item placed into or taken away from cart. The sensory net detects change in weight of cart and generate sensory net data. The processing unit processes sensor data and sensory net data and accordingly retrieves information of item from at least one item database. Based on retrieved information, processing unit calculates subtotal of item and grand total cost of all items in cart and are displayed to user on display screen long with item details. Sensors, sensory net and sensory line together identifies item added into cart or removed from cart, and maintain integrity of items in basket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an electronic shopping cart. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an electronic shopping cart that scans each item placed into cart or item taken from cart and accordingly displays running total price of all items, at the time of shopping.

2. Description of the Related Art

While shopping, user is not aware of what items they have taken so far and what would be the total cost of items taken so far. It is essential to display items are taken and total cost of items taken so far, so that user can plan and accordingly add or reject items placed into the cart based on budget or shopping limit of each individual.

Applicant believes that a related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 7,648,068B2 patent application number filed by Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd for a shopping cart system with automatic shopping item total calculator. The reference discloses a shopping cart system includes a shopping cart. The shopping cart includes a receptacle to hold shopping items bearing coded data tags. A scanning device is mounted to the shopping receptacle and is configured to scan the data tags of the shopping items to thereby determine the identity of the shopping items. A computer system is configured to calculate the total cost of the scanned shopping items using the determined identity of the shopping items.

Another related application is US U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,740A filed by Paul Gogulski for a mobile automated shopping system. The reference discloses an improved automated shopping system used within stores. It is of the type utilizing shopping carts having product code scanning means and product weight sensing means located thereon in conjunction with a central computer which is also located within the store, wherein the improvement comprises a first scanner releasably mounted on the shopping cart, a control panel mounted upon the shopping cart, means for visual display of word and numerical entries on the control panel, means for the readings of the first scanner to appear on the visual display, means for totaling numerical data that appear on the visual display, a second scanner located on the control panel, means whereby the second scanner's numerical entries are totaled and the total, with the second scanner's other readings appear on the visual display, and a printout device located in said control panel which records and totals the numerical entries and prints them on tape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic shopping cart. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an electronic shopping cart that scans each item placed into cart or item taken from cart and accordingly displays running price total of all items, at the time of shopping.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electronic shopping cart that comprises sensor unit, processing unit and display unit. The sensor unit comprises array of sensors placed at each corner of the cart and sensory net placed at base of the cart. At least one sensory line connects sensors and sensory net. The sensors generate sensor data by detecting item placed into or taken away from cart. The sensory net detects change in weight of cart and generate sensory net data. The processing unit processes sensor data and sensory net data and accordingly retrieves information of item from at least one item database. Based on retrieved information, processing unit calculates subtotal of item and grand total cost of all items in cart and are displayed to user on display screen long with item details. Sensors, sensory net and sensory line together identifies item added into cart or removed from cart, and maintain integrity of items in cart.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic shopping cart that comprises a sensory net. The sensory net can act as a weight scale to detect change in weight of cart and to identify whether any item is placed inside the cart or taken away.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic shopping cart that comprises at least one electronic line that connects all sensors and sensory net to maintain integrity of items placed in or taken away from cart.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic shopping cart that display grand total of all items allows users to plan and purchase items based on their budget or based on cash in hand or amount in electronic credit or debit card. This can save money and limit user to purchase items according to affordable cost of purchase.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1demonstrates block diagram of an electronic shopping cart100of present invention. Cart100comprising sensor unit131, processing unit202, display unit110and battery unit (not shown) which powers the different units in the cart100. The sensor unit131comprises various sensors130placed at each corner of the cart100and sensory net113placed at base of the cart100. At least one sensory line connects sensors130and sensory net113. The sensors130generate sensor data by detecting item placed into or taken away from cart100. The sensory net113detects change in weight of cart100and generate sensory net data. The processing unit202processes sensor data and sensory net data and accordingly retrieves information of item from at least one item database (not shown). The database can have item details such as item name, item cost, expiry data, manufacturing date, and so on. The processing unit202retrieved information item details from item database and calculated subtotal of each item and grand total cost of all items in cart. The item details and subtotal and grand total are displayed to user on display screen111of display unit110. Sensors130, sensory net113and sensory line together identifies item added into cart or removed from cart, and maintain integrity of items in basket. The processing unit202can connect to display unit110, sensor unit131or item database, through proper wired or wireless I/O interface. The display unit202can be not limited to a Liquid Cristal Display (LCD) or Light Emitting Diode (LED) unit.

FIG. 2shows perspective view of electronic shopping cart100ofFIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 2, sensors102-109also referred all together as sensors130inFIG. 1. The sensors102-109are installed at corners of basket101and sensory net113is installed at base of basket101. Top sensors102-105are installed at top corners of basket101and bottom sensors106-109are installed at bottom corners of basket101. Electronic line112connects sensors102-109to sensory net113. This maintains integrity of items placed in cart. For example, the placing new item or taking item from cart are easily accounted in real time using active electronic line112of sensors102-109and sensory net113. Display unit110displays details of items in cart, on display screen111. Details of items comprises item name, quantity, cost of each item, subtotal of item and grand total amount of all items in cart100.FIG. 3, shows with various items307placed into electronic shopping cart100. Various items307can be items or products in departmental or grocery store and the like, without limitation. It should be noted that all items should labels/code/bar code that are detectable by sensors.

FIG. 4shows display screen111ofFIG. 3showing shopping cart details401such as serial number402, item name403, quantity404, price/cost405of each item, subtotal406of an item and grand total amount408of all items in cart100. As soon when items are placed into cart100, the sensors102-109and sensory net113detects item placed into cart100, processing unit202processes sensor and sensory net data, retrieves item details from item database, calculates cost information and send item details to display screen111.

Referring toFIG. 1-4, sensor102-109are not limited to sensors that can detect objects that are placed in or taken away from cart. One example of such sensor can be sensor with bar code reader that can read bar code of each item placed inside cart or taken away from cart. If an item is placed inside the cart, bar code reader in sensor can read bar code on the item and generate sensor data. The sensory net113and electronic line112helps to keep track of items placed in or taken away from cart100and accordingly generate sensory net data. The processing unit202can retrieve item details from item database based on sensor data and sensory net data and display item details on display screen111. Processing unit202calculates subtotal of each item and grand total of all items in cart and display it on the display screen111. This maintains integrity of items in cart100. The sensory net113can act as a weight scale to detect change in weight of cart100and to identify whether any item is placed inside the cart100or taken away. The sensor102-109can also detect item taken away and accordingly detect item list on display screen111. The subtotal306and grand total308are displayed in real time and are updated based on change in item number in cart100. Displaying grand total308of all items allows users to plan and purchase items based on their budget or based on cash in hand or amount in electronic credit or debit card. This can save money and limit user to purchase items according to affordable cost of purchase.

Other modifications of the invention can be that user can set budget at the time of starting shopping or at the time of taking empty shopping cart for purchase. When total purchase exceeds set budget, the shopping cart can alert the user with buzzer or alarm. Also an alert sound shall be generated when user of cart shops same item more than once unknowingly. The present invention is not limited to setting user name and password at display unit using at least one unique identity, such as username or electronic mail or mobile number to login into electronic shopping cart. The user can set budget for each future purchase, add or link payment methods within the present system. The other types of login to present invention are not limited to use of general shopping card or shopping card exclusive to each shop or group of shops or finger print login.