RU2733490C1 - Store floor equipment system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to systems of shop floor equipment of a self-service store containing shopping trolleys and/or meshes designed to accommodate the selected item by the buyer. Essence of the invention consists in the fact that the shop floor equipment system containing the shopping trolleys and/or nets for placement of the selected goods by the buyer, wherein each trolley/ mesh of the trading floor is equipped with a power supply unit with a charging device and further comprises the following units provided with a wireless communication device: a payment terminal, an input/output device for displaying video information for indicating the name of goods, their quantity and cost, connected by a communication bus to the purchase control device; audio information input/output device, wherein the trading hall is equipped with scanners to control movement of shopping trolleys, buyers, personnel and goods to the payment zone, and the payment zone comprises scanners for unlocking electronic labels.EFFECT: technical result is increased throughput capacity of magazine.1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to equipment systems for a sales area of a self-service store, containing shopping carts and / or grids intended for placing the selected product in them by the buyer, and can be used in super- and hypermarkets for organizing the trading process with decreasing time consumption and improving self-service.

A big problem of modern large self-service stores is the numerous queues at the checkout counters during peak hours: during the mass visit of customers. The reason for this is that in most medium and large retail establishments, the checkout function is performed by cashiers who service networked checkout terminals. The communication node of the network is a server that gives access to the database of prices and information about goods on demand, coming from one or another settlement terminal.

A number of technical solutions are known to solve this problem.

A known system for the use of shopping carts (JP 2007058492, publ. 2007.03.08), which allows the administrator to increase the number of cashier personnel for taking measures, for example, opening free cash registers, at an early stage of queuing. The system provides for the interaction of shopping carts as they move to the central line with communication equipment, with base stations installed in the store. The server evaluates the number of such orders received from the shopping carts, and consults the site utilization file and the backup table to locate the respective carts in relation to the center line. Based on the received data, the server calculates the average number of shopping carts in a certain area near the payment terminals, and if it matches the established one or exceeds it, the server in one way or another notifies the administrator about the accumulation of carts near the payment terminals. The known system only makes it possible to streamline customer service in cash registers, solving the "transport problem" by increasing the number of cashiers during the peak hours of the cash register. If all the checkout terminals are in use at that moment, then it is not possible to reduce the queues at the checkout at all.

Known technical solution, including a method and a device for ensuring retail sales (JP 3708778, publ. 2005.10.19), aimed at increasing the number of retail sales without waiting at the checkout due to the fact that the buyer is allowed to independently perform corrective processing and make a registration record using retail programs. According to the known technical solution, information about the properties of the goods is read by the buyer independently using a compact portable terminal and is compared with the terms of purchase using an actuator. If it meets the terms of purchase, information confirming the right to purchase the goods is transmitted to the terminal of the setting server for requesting corrective processing. Once confirmed, the compact handheld terminal is informed that the corrective processing was normal. This information is stored in the registration record. However, this solution to the problem is intended for the buyer of high culture: the buyer has to use a very expensive portable terminal, which is easy to spoil; in addition, this terminal does not allow tracking those purchases that the buyer either accidentally or intentionally did not register through it. Unregistered purchases can significantly increase the percentage of a store's losses from theft.

There is a known sales management system (JP 3604578, publ. 2004.12.22), designed to eliminate overloads associated with the payment procedure at the checkout, when folding and moving purchased goods in carts with attached electronic labels, for transmitting and receiving information about the goods from electronic labels and from the server when the product is already in the cart. In the known system, the price file is received from the server after the buyer selects the product card and starts the calculation program, which is stored in the computer memory in the form of a price table. The buyer places the selected product in the cart, while information about the electronic label attached to the product is requested through the converter / accumulator and is recorded in a summarizing table, the content of which is transferred through the controller to the converter / accumulator and recorded in the server's administrative file, while the total amount is displayed on the display. The known system is difficult to implement, because with a large load of the cart, the goods located in the middle and fenced off by other goods may not be scanned and data about it will not be sent to the server and the checkout. It requires attaching an electronic label to each product, which is very expensive and increases the value of the product, and, in addition, removing these labels is more difficult than scanning the product at the POS, and the cashier must remove them. This will not decrease the queues, and sometimes may increase them. If the electronic labels are not removed, but given to the buyer, this will increase the cost of goods so much that the store will become uncompetitive in prices.

Closest to the claimed technical solution is the system of equipment for the sales area of the store (utility model RU 77965, publ. 2008.11.10), which provides the organization of the trade process described in patent RU 2405203, publ. 2008.06.24. The known system contains a server configured to maintain accounting programs for goods turnover in the warehouse and in the sales area of the store, associated with the cash register, as well as devices for marking goods using electronic labels indicating the code, name, price of goods and their weight. The known system of equipment includes shopping carts and / or grids for placing in them the selected product by the buyer, equipped with a purchase control device, including a scale and / or a scanner, which are capable of reading information from an electronic label, including the name of goods, their price and weight, and are connected wirelessly. communication with the server. The cash register terminal of a known system is made with software (SW) similar to the server software and an embedded wireless communication device. The well-known system of equipping the sales area of the store provides the ability for buyers to self-calculate the cost of purchases without counting at the checkout, but at the same time reveals the following disadvantages:

The capacity of the sales area remains insufficient, the independent actions of the buyer are limited, and therefore the conduct of purchase and sale operations requires a significant investment of time; in addition, the information required for the operation of accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover in the warehouse and in the trading floor of the store is not provided promptly enough to the server.

The objective of the invention is to create a system of equipment for the sales area of the store, which ensures its high throughput, a sufficiently high level of self-service of customers and the automatic execution of programs for accounting for goods turnover in the warehouse and in the sales area of the store.

The technical result of the proposed system of equipment for the sales area of the store is to eliminate the shortcomings of the known system: to increase the throughput by reducing the time spent on performing purchase and sale operations, strengthening the self-service mode while increasing the promptness of the receipt of the information necessary for the operation of accounting and warehouse programs ...

The specified technical result is achieved by the system of equipment of the store's sales area, containing a server that ensures the operation of accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover and is connected by wireless communication with the cash terminal and with the accounting computer and the warehouse computer, while the cash terminal is equipped with software similar to the server software, and a built-in wireless communication device, which includes shopping carts and / or nets for placing the selected product in them by the buyer, each of which is equipped with a device for marking goods associated with wireless communication with the server, configured to assign data about the code, name, price and mass, as well as a purchase control device, including scales and / or a scanner capable of reading from electronic labels information about the name of goods, their price and weight, in which, unlike the known one, each cart / grid of the sales area is equipped with a power supply unit with a charger m and additionally contains the following units provided with a wireless communication device: a payment terminal, a video information input / output device for displaying the name of goods, their quantity and value, connected by a communication bus with a purchase control device; an input / output device for audio information, while the trading floor is equipped with scanners to control the movement of shopping carts, customers, personnel and goods to the payment area, and the payment area contains scanners for unlocking electronic labels.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, video surveillance devices are installed in the sales area of the system.

The structure of the store floor system is schematically shown in the drawing with the following designations:

1. carts and / or nets designed to accommodate the selected product by the buyer;

2. a server with software designed for maintaining accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover in the warehouse and in the trading floor of the store;

3. cash register (payment) terminals;

4. Computer accounting;

5. Computer warehouse;

6. devices for marking goods;

7. purchase control device;

8. device for input / output of video information on the screen;

9. audio input / output device;

10. cash (payment) terminals of the cart and / or net, equipped with a wireless device for communication with the server;

11. TV devices installed in carts / nets connected to the server by a wireless communication device;

12. power supply unit for trolley and / or sludge and net with charger.

13. sales floor scanners to control the movement of shopping carts, customers, personnel and goods to the payment area;

14.Payment area scanners for unlocking electronic labels and attaching them to the trade

15. Video surveillance devices located in the trading floor.

Thus, the proposed trading floor equipment system contains carts and / or grids 1 for placing the selected product in them by the buyer, server 2, the software of which provides the ability to maintain accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover in the warehouse and in the trading floor of the store. Server 2 is connected to POS terminals 3, which are made with a built-in wireless communication device and are equipped with software similar to the server software, as well as with accounting computers 4 and warehouse computers 5. In addition, the system includes devices 6 for marking goods made with the possibility of assigning data to the product about the code, name, price and weight, while the carts / nets 1 are equipped with a purchase control device 7, which contains a scale and / or a scanner capable of reading information about the name of goods, their price and weight, and having a wireless connection with server 2. In addition, each trolley / grid 1 is additionally equipped with a video input / output device 8 on the screen to indicate the name of goods, their quantity and value, simultaneously serving to interact the buyer with the administration of the trading floor and server 2 via a wireless communication device. The device 8 and the device 7 control purchases, connected by a communication bus, can be made in the form of a computer tablet or laptop. The device 9 for input / output of audio information, which serves for the interaction of the customer with the administration of the trading floor and the server 2 through a wireless communication device, can be made similar to a sound card of a computer with head phones or a speaker.

Each cart / net 1 is equipped with a cash register (payment) terminal 10 and television devices 11, which are connected to the server 2 by wireless communication devices. Each cart / net has an individual power supply unit with a charger.

The system also includes scanners 13 equipped with a wireless communication device (at least more than one), monitoring the movement of shopping carts, customers, personnel and goods to the payment area and tracking possible refusals from purchases and dumping of goods, which helps to increase the efficiency of information entering the server , necessary both for a clearer operation of accounting and warehouse programs, and for the administration of the store's sales area and security service in case necessary measures are taken, for example, by attracting additional personnel when customers congregate in departments, as well as managing customers in case of smoke, etc.

Payment area scanners 14 equipped with a wireless communication device, which are installed in at least more than one number, are used to automatically unlock electronic labels (chips) of goods and attach them to a shopping cart (for secondary use) with a purchase fixation, which reduces temporary the time it takes to transfer the goods to the buyer and increases throughput, as well as reduces the cost of losing electronic labels.

In the trading floor, television devices 15 (at least more than one) equipped with a wireless communication device with the server 2 are also installed, which are video monitoring equipment.

Installed directly on the carts / grids 1 television devices 11, as well as placed in the trading floor video surveillance devices 15 serve to expand the information support of the system; they allow you to use an additional channel to control possible incorrect actions of buyers, including duplicate transactions, refusal to purchase and dumping goods. This provides an additional increase in the throughput of the system by reducing the time for resolving conflict situations with incorrect actions of customers, for example, who dropped goods in another department (meat products in the vegetable department), as well as due to the possibility of comparing the video information received from the television devices of the hall and television devices of the cart / mesh.

Installed on carts / grids 1 additional cash (payment) terminals 10, equipped with a wireless communication device, allow you to fully implement the self-service mode; they reduce the time spent by the customer at the point-of-sale terminal 3, increasing the throughput of the proposed service system.

The audio information input / output devices 9 provide, in particular, the interaction of the buyer with the administration of the sales area, which is necessary, for example, in emergency situations.

The power supply unit 12 of the cart / net 1, equipped with a charger, which increases its power-to-weight ratio, ensures the stability and range of its radio communication, which guarantees reliable communication with the administration.

The proposed system works as follows.

After the goods arrive at the warehouse, the data about the goods are transferred to the server and entered into the accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover in the computer of accounting 4 and the computer of the warehouse 5. The data on the goods put up for sale from the accounting and warehouse programs to server 2 is transmitted via the local communication network. computing center. Server 2 is connected to a local communication network and, in addition, is equipped with a wireless communication device for the purpose of exchanging information with the accounting computer 4 and the warehouse computer 5 for forming orders, as well as with cash registers 3 and purchase control devices 7. Then, data is transmitted (product name, unit of measure, sales price) about the goods put up for sale from the server to the POS terminals 3, after which the process of putting up the goods for sale follows.

Sellers receive goods with packaging containers (or without them) and means for attaching electronic labels with information about the goods and move the cart / net with the goods to the appropriate department. The buyer, if necessary, through the input / output device 8 makes inquiries about the availability and location of the goods, as well as about possible routes of movement to the shelves of goods, while it is possible to interact with the seller or to independently select the goods.

In the department, the buyer verbally places an order to the seller for a certain amount of goods from this department. After receiving the order, the seller selects these goods, if necessary, selects the required container size. At the next stage, the seller alternately puts the selected product into containers, having previously entered information into the chip (electronic label on microcircuits) about each selected product (name, price, weight). The implementation of these actions can be carried out, for example, by printing a barcode on a printing device and then reading it by a scanner. After the buyer has chosen the product, placed it in the cart / grid, the seller, using the communication device, contacts the server 2 and, if necessary, assigns a code to the buyer's generated order. At the next stage, the generated order is marked using a marking device available to the seller, which contains information about the code assigned to the order, names of goods, their price and weight. After that, the generated order is given to the buyer, who places it in the purchase control device 7, designed to check the generated order. The device 7 automatically verifies the information about the generated order in the database of the server 2 and / or the seller with the content of the generated order received for verification. Reconciliation is carried out by means of scales and / or a scanner, which is equipped with the purchase control device 7 located in the cart 1.

Server 2, after identification of the received individual code by means of a local communication network or, if possible, by means of wireless communication, transmits information on the content of the generated order to the purchase control device 7. If the information received from the server 2 and / or from the seller does not correspond to the actual content of the generated order, the device 7 does not accept this generated order for entry into the register of orders that have been verified and payable. It sends a signal to I / O devices 8 and 9 to visually and / or audibly identify the error and report it to the customer.

In addition, the aforementioned devices 8 and 9 for input / output of audio and video information via feedback loops are also capable of assisting the buyer in choosing goods, providing information, for example, about the "product of the day", current discounts, using other marketing techniques.

If the information received from the server 2 and / or from the seller corresponds to the actual content of the generated order, then the device 7 accepts the generated order for entry in the register of orders that have been verified and payable, provided that the goods have crossed the payment zone and are detected by the scanner 14 payment area for unlocking electronic labels and attaching them to shopping cart 1 (for secondary use). The use of scanners 14 of the payment area allows you to reduce the loss of time spent on monitoring the operation of the system, as well as save money by reusing chips.

After receiving information from the purchase control device 7, the settlement device (payment terminal of the cart) 10 generates a receipt for payment, after which it sends a report to the server 2 about the operation performed using the communication device.

The buyer himself chooses which POS terminal: 3 or 10 to make the payment. After fixing the purchase and payment, the goods enter the property of the buyer, after which he is given a free exit from the trading floor through the turnstile. The inclusion of a trolley / grid 1 with a wireless communication device in the system of payment terminals 10 allows the self-service mode to be realized in the best way;

The inclusion in the system of scanners 13 of the trading floor with a wireless communication device to control the movement of shopping carts, customers, personnel and goods to the payment area with the possibility of refusing to purchase and dumping goods reduces the risks of incorrect actions and allows you to use resources for this with the involvement of the administrator of the trading floor ...

When choosing a product, the buyer can change his mind, replace the product, etc. If this happened before crossing the payment zone, and there are a lot of such cases, then the order will be automatically corrected, provided it is removed from the cart / grid.

Thus, the use of the proposed system, without the need to make drastic changes in the settlement and cash services in existing stores, provides a solution to problems with queues at checkouts, where most of the time is usually spent on processing purchases by the cashier, disconnecting chips, verifying the compliance of goods with the order and actual content.

Claims (2)

1. The system of equipment of the sales area of the store, containing a server that ensures the operation of accounting and warehouse programs for accounting for goods turnover and is connected by wireless communication with the cash terminal and with the computer of the accounting department and the computer of the warehouse, while the cash terminal is equipped with software similar to the server software and built-in a wireless communication device, which includes shopping carts and / or nets for placing the selected product in them by the buyer, each of which is equipped with a product marking device associated with a wireless connection to the server, configured to assign data about the code, name, price and weight to the product, as well as a purchase control device, including scales and / or a scanner, capable of reading from electronic labels information about the name of goods, their price and weight, characterized in that each trolley / grid of the sales area is equipped with a power supply unit with a charger and additionally contains wireless a communication device the following blocks: a payment terminal, a video information input / output device for displaying the name of goods, their quantity and value, connected by a communication bus with a purchase control device; an input / output device for audio information, while the trading floor is equipped with scanners to control the movement of shopping carts, customers, personnel and goods to the payment area, and the payment area contains scanners for unlocking electronic labels. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains video surveillance devices located in the trading floor and equipped with wireless communication devices with the server.

Images