Patent ID: 7204346

Claim:
An apparatus for transporting items for purchase at a checkout location comprising: a conveyor having an upstream end for loading at least one item for purchase and a downstream end for processing the at least one item for purchase; a processing area positioned proximate the downstream end of the conveyor, the processing area comprising a self-scanning area and a bagging area; a start sensor positioned proximate the upstream end of the conveyor, wherein the conveyor transports the at least one item downstream toward the self-scanning processing area in response to the start sensor sensing the at least one item adjacent to the start sensor, and wherein the conveyor is stopped when the at least one item is no longer adjacent to the start sensor; a user proximity sensor positioned at the self-scanning area, wherein the user proximity sensor in response to sensing a user causes the conveyor to resume transporting the at least one item towards the downstream end of the conveyor; and a stop sensor positioned proximate the downstream end of the conveyor near the self-scanning area, wherein the conveyor is stopped upon the at least one item being sensed by the stop sensor.