EP3314587A1

EP3314587A1 - Distribution system

Info

Publication number: EP3314587A1
Application number: EP16741102.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antoine ASFAR
Original assignee: Nu
Current assignee: Nu
Priority date: 2015-06-24
Filing date: 2016-06-24
Publication date: 2018-05-02
Also published as: FR3038106B1; WO2016207569A1; FR3038106A1; MA44325A

Abstract

A facility forming a point of sale and that comprises a plurality of vendor stations and a computer access. Each vendor station is provided with a remote customer badge detector, arranged to address to the computer access, in case of detection, a customer identifier and an identifier of the detector, while the computer system responds by initiating a purchasing process at the vendor station where the detection has taken place.

Description

Distribution system

The invention relates to distribution, especially food. There are many distribution systems allowing the customer to freely use the products he wants and to be cashed later. We are talking about self-service checkouts, or "self-checkout" in English.

Most often, the products are placed on shelves and their price is displayed on a label stuck to the packaging or on the shelf. The customer circulates in the store, chooses the products he wants to buy, puts them in a basket. He finally goes to the cashier where an operator records all the items in a cash register and cashes the customer. Some devices allow the cashing of the customer without the intervention of an operator.

After choosing the items he wants to buy, the customer comes to a special fund, called "self-service" and scans one by one the bar codes of the items. He is often asked to have the items on a scale that allows a consistency check on the nature of the products. To finish the transaction, the credit union accepts one or more means of payment: credit card, banknotes, coins, coupons, etc. There are also self-scanning systems, or "self-scanning" in English. In the self-balancing system, the customer is equipped with a portable device such as a hand shower or a smart phone capable of reading barcodes or other identification systems (flash-tag, RFID, etc.). It is at the moment of the choice of the articles that the customer scans the barcode before disposing them in his basket. At the end of the journey, he goes to a special fund, to pay directly without additional control over the number and nature of products. This practice requires a relationship of trust between the customer and the store. Whatever the method of collection, the self-service sale of bulk products requires an additional operation for the customer or the operator: the weighing and the identification of the product. There are two modes of operation:

Weighing by the customer: the customer himself uses bulk products, in very light bags (plastic or paper) and himself has each product on a specialized scale. On the same machine, he must inform the nature of the product. The machine then issues a ticket necessary for the collection which will proceed as for pre-packaged items. Note that some machines are able to recognize the nature of products with a camera and an algorithm relying on sales statistics. These detections are not completely reliable and require control and sometimes correction by the client. We also note cases of fraud by adding products of the same kind after weighing.

The weighing by the operator: the customer himself uses bulk products, in very light bags (plastic or paper). It is at checkout that the operator recognizes the product, weighs it and records it in the cash register. Note that it is sometimes difficult for the operator to recognize the exact nature of the product (example: rice can be similar and yet have prices per kilo different).

Existing dispensing devices still pose a number of problems, particularly for the sale of bulk products. As it is practiced today the sale is a source of error, creates points of contention and / or generates significant fraud rates.

Very few stores allow customers to use their own containers. When this is the case, he must go to the cashier before using himself to pre-weigh each of his containers. The weight is written on a sticker that is affixed to the respective containers. The customer can then circulate among the shelves and use himself. He then returns to the cashier. The filled containers are then weighed again. It is the difference of weight with the indication of the sticker which is taken into account for the calculation of the price. The operator must also be able to recognize the products. This case-by-case detection is a source of error and / or fraud.

The shopping journey is slow and tedious. It drastically limits cash flow.

In stores that require to be used in plastic bags or paper, the course is tedious because it is still necessary to weigh and identify products. When the operation is done by the customer, it allows the customer to defraud by adding products after weighing. And when the operation is conducted by the cashier, it generates more waiting in cash.

The existing machines (cash counters with treadmills, self-checkout or self-scanning) are bulky and represent a loss of useful sales area in store. In addition, they are manufactured by manufacturers with a design of their own, rarely customizable by stores.

In summary, existing distribution methods are not suitable for bulk sales:

- They do not allow a large flow of customers to serve in their own containers.

- They are slow and tedious.

- They are source of errors.

- They allow fraud.

- They are not ergonomic for the client (many operations).

- They are bulky and encroach on the useful sales area.

- They affect the design of stores (bulky machines very little customizable).

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a rack or "gondola", seen from the front, equipped with two doors with magnetic latch, with a shelf El view in partial section.

- Figure 2 illustrates the same rack as Figure 1, but equipped with a single door.

- Figure 3 illustrates the same rack as Figure 1, but without door. - Figure 4 illustrates a set of 2 bins, seen in perspective.

- Figure 5 shows a set of 2 bins, seen from the front, the right tank seen in section.

- Figure 6 illustrates a set of 4 bins, seen in perspective, the tank bottom right seen in section.

- Figure 7 illustrates an inclined bottom tank, seen in profile and in section.

- Figure 8 shows a set of 2 deep tanks and its automatic leveling mechanism by hydraulic cylinder. The right tank seen in section, cylinder retracted.

- Figure 9 illustrates a set of 2 deep tanks and its automatic leveling mechanism by hydraulic cylinder. The right tank seen in section, cylinder deployed.

FIGS. 8a and 9b represent variants of the sets respectively of FIGS. 8 and 9.

- Figure 10 illustrates a set of 4 silos distributors for bulk products, seen from the front.

- Figure 11 illustrates a set of 4 dispensing silos for bulk products, seen from the front and in partial section.

- Figure 12 illustrates a set of 4 dispensing silos for bulk products, seen from the front and in section.

- Figure 13 illustrates a distribution cabinet of three bulk liquid products, seen from the front and in section.

- Figure 14 illustrates the architecture common to all embodiments, which binds the different devices of each device.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of arrangement of four scales under the same large plate.

- Figure 16 illustrates in detail a sectional view of a tray assembly, scales and support, present in the various embodiments.

- Figure 17 illustrates a linear consisting of different devices.

- Figures 18 to 23 are diagrams illustrating operations of

installation.

In a shop, a shelving over several meters can consist of several appliances. For example, a combination of the different modes of embodiment of the invention. Each of these implementations does not usually exceed one meter wide. This width is chosen to correspond to the customer's control area: when a customer is in this area to interact with a device, it is reasonably excluded, including physically, that another customer can be used in the same department.

Four different embodiments of the invention will be described below: the "gondola", the "bins", the "silos", the "guns". The functions of these four implementations are:

- The gondola makes it possible to arrange the products on the shelves of a cupboard.

- Bins are used to bulk products that the customer uses in general by hand, with a shovel or pliers (examples: fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, olives, biscuits in bulk).

- The silos allow the customer to use in bulk products whose granularity and weight allow a flow by gravity, through a valve handled directly by the customer (examples: rice, cereals, lentils, dried beans).

- Spray guns, or hand driers, handled directly by the customer, trigger a pump that draws a liquid product from a barrel, allowing the customer to fill his container with the quantity of product desired.

Here we call "device" the physical elements of one of these four implementations.

Gondola II is now referred to Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The device of FIG. 1 is described, it being noted that that of FIG. 2 differs only in the presence of a single door, and that of FIG. 3 in the absence of a door. The shelf El (Figures 1, 2 and 3) comprises a support 3, fixed on the uprights 11-1 and 11-2 of the rack. A large plate 2 is placed on at least one balance (or two scales) 1-1 and 1-2, themselves placed or fixed on the support 3. Here, two scales are placed under the left and right ends of the plateau 2. Other arrangements may be envisaged, for example four scales placed under the four corners of the plate 2, or one or more balance (s) in the intermediate position (s). The plate 2 resting on the balance or scales, is the second shelf useful racking.

The other EO shelves, as well as E2 to E4, can be arranged in the same way as the El shelf, if necessary with different arrangements of the scales, depending on the products stored on each shelf.

It can be further provided a near field communication reader (NFC) for "Near Field Communication", and an LCD screen 6, placed here between the shelves E2 and E3, without touching the shelf of the shelf E2, such so that they are located just behind the handles of the hinged doors when they are present and closed (Figures 1 and 2).

In the upper part, under the upper wall 11-3 of the rack, it is provided:

- in the center, a surveillance camera 7,

- On either side two suckers or magnetic stops 15, each of which can hold a magnetic strip 16 of a half-door 12 (Figure 1) or the only door 12 (Figure 2), hinged to the amount of the shelving . The same system of magnetic stops is provided at the bottom.

The NFC 4 reader allows the customer to initiate one or more transactions on the gondola concerned, and to terminate them later. For a transaction, when serving, the customer can seize products arranged on a shelf, for example the shelf El; he does it as naturally as he would take an article at home in a closet. The mass variation due to the removal of the products seized by the customer is recorded, in correspondence of an identifier of the balance or scales concerned.

The unit price and other regulatory information may be displayed on the edge of the shelves. As the customer uses, the list of his purchases and the price of each item are displayed on the LCD 6.

To close the transaction, the customer can close the door or doors 12 (Figures 1 and 2). It can provide a closure / opening detection doors, which conditions the existence of a transaction. As described in the paragraph "Operation common to the four embodiments", it is also possible to detect the distance of the client, or to wait for the client to close the session by pressing a button.

The gondola is suitable for the sale of solid products and whose mass of independent elements is sufficient to be detected by the scales. Examples: prepackaged products, preserves, jars, cookie packs, bottles, etc. It is not suitable for items sold in grains (rice, cereals, lentils in bulk.) Or liquids sold in bulk. The bins

Reference is now made to Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Here, the customer's control area includes one or more bins.

At least one scale 1 is fixed in the bottom of each tray 20 (Figure 4, 5 and 6) on which rests directly the box 21 which will contain the products on sale. He can be still provided an NFC reader 4, and an LCD 6, placed near all the bins of the same control zone, here, facing the customer, between the bins Bl and B2 (Figures 4, 5 and 6) . When the products must be presented on an inclined plane, it is possible to use a box 23 inclined bottom 24 as shown in Figure 7. The products or their containers are retained by a stop 25 which prevents contact with the tray 22 The weight of the box and its contents is continuously measured by scale 1 in the same way as for flat bottom tanks.

When the bins are deep (Figures 8 and 9) it is expected to allow the stacking of several boxes, here Cl, C2, C3 and C4. A mechanism makes it possible to keep the highest box at the same level as the rest of the shelf. Here, the mechanism shown is a hydraulic cylinder 24 whose base is fixed to the bottom of each of the tanks. A support 3 is fixed to the top of the cylinder 24. At least one scale 1 is fixed on the support 3 and continuously measures the weight of the boxes and the products they contain. When the upper crate is empty or almost empty, it is removed manually from the stack and the jack is actuated automatically or manually to raise the level of the remaining crates. The automatic actuation of the cylinder is controlled by a photocell 25 positioned at the top of the tank.

At the time of use, the customer takes the products arranged inside the boxes 21 or 23. Depending on the nature of the product, the customer will be asked to use a specific way (for example by hand, with a shovel or forceps).

Silos

Reference is made to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12. The distributor silo is one of the existing bulk and self-service distribution means. Here, one or more silos are arranged in a piece of furniture 30. There is one support 3, fixed on the uprights 30-1 and 30-2 of the furniture. A large plate 2 is placed on at least two scales 1-1 and 1-2, themselves placed or fixed on the support 3.

Here, the two scales are placed under the ends of the plate 2. It is possible to envisage other arrangements, for example four scales placed under the four corners of the plate 2, or one or more scales in the intermediate position (s). (s).

The silos are fixed on the large plate 2. Below the valves VI, V2, V3 and V4, there is a space 32 in the cabinet so that the customer can place a container on the plate 35 before operating one valves. Lighting 34 of the space 32 is provided to flood the photocells 33-1, 33-2, 33-3 and 33-4 with light. It may be further provided an NFC reader 4, and an LCD screen 6, facing the customer between the silos S2 and S3 (Figures 10 and 11).

When serving, the customer approaches a container of one of the valves, for example the valve V2, and actuates the valve that delivers the product contained in the silo. The detection of the activated silo is done by an electrical contact in the valve or by an alteration perceived by the photocell 33-2 located just below the valve V2. These two detection means can be used together, one serving as a confirmation for the other. The measurement of the mass of sampled product is done as for the other embodiments of the invention, by the differential measured by the scales 1-1 and 1-2.

Guns II is referred to in Figure 13, which illustrates a dispensing cabinet of three bulk liquid products. A large plate 2 is placed on one or more scales (here 1-1 and 1-2), themselves placed or fixed on the bottom of furniture 40-3. The barrels 41-1, 41-2 and 41-3 containing the products on sale, are placed on the large plate 2. Here, the two scales are placed under the ends of the plate 2. It is possible to envisage other arrangements, by example four scales placed under the 4 corners of the tray 2, or one or more scale (s) in position (s) intermediate (s).

It may be further provided an NFC reader 4, and an LCD screen 6, placed in front of the customer, at the level of guns or handhelds.

At the time of use, the customer introduces the head of the gun or the shower in the neck of its bottle. A button on the handshower or trigger on the gun allows him to trigger the pump that will fill his bottle.

The nature of the product selected by the customer is recognized by the hand shower or spray gun. The measurement of the mass of sampled product is done as for the other embodiments of the invention, by the differential measured by the scales 1

I and 1-2.

Reference is now made to Figures 14, 15, 16 and 17.

These four different embodiments use the same mechanism to determine the amount of product that the customer has taken from the shelf. There is a support 3 fixed in the furniture that contains it. A large plate 2 is placed on one or more scales 1, themselves placed or fixed on the support 3.

Here, the two scales are placed under the ends of the plate 2 (Figure 14). Other arrangements may be envisaged, for example four scales placed under the four corners of the plate 2 (FIG. 15), or one or more scales in the intermediate position (s).

In each device, it can be provided: - A surveillance camera 7,

One or more suction cups or magnetic stops 15, to hold the magnetic strip of a door or a half-door 12, as the case may be,

- One or more polychrome LED ribbons to adapt the luminous signage to the state of the device,

- A sound transmitter with which the device can broadcast messages addressed to the customer,

- A temperature sensor (9)

- A humidity sensor (10).

All devices on the same device are connected to a PCB that controls them. The PCBs are all connected to a local area network that allows a "SMASH-MON" monitoring program to access the status of each device, and measurements made by scales or other devices.

In practice, whatever the form of the device, the act of purchase can be summarized as follows:

1) the client identifies himself, for example using an NFC support, read by the reader 4,

2) the customer uses the product as recommended by the device (examples: by hand, with a shovel, with a pliers, with the help of a pouring spout, with a pistol) 3) the customer "closes his session 'purchase in three possible ways:

at. closing a hinged door or cover, where applicable; b. the client can operate the button 5 located at the NFC reader; vs. the customer can move away from the radius, which will have the effect of automatically closing the session by detecting the distance of the NFC support.

The session also has a rolling expiration from the last client interaction measured by the device. In case of expiration, the session will be closed automatically.

Regarding the identification (1), we will rely here on NFC technology. Each station or station at the point of sale is equipped with an NFC reader. Each customer has a NFC badge, which can be permanent (stored for example in his smartphone (smartphone), or given to him at the entrance to the point of sale.

This NFC badge combines all the necessary data to identify the customer and to pay for purchases.

The computer has a supervisor (100) of the NFC readers (Figure 17). The supervisor is normally in the standby state. When one of the NFC readers detects (101) that an NFC badge is close enough to read it, this supervisor initiates a purchase process 200 with the coordinates associated with this badge, and the identifier of the NFC reader that detected.

The setting of the proximity threshold depends on the dimensions of the device and its layout in the warehouse, so as to guarantee a control zone in which the customer alone can use the products concerned. The whole of this invention remains valid and consistent with identification methods based on other technologies such as RFID or Bluetooth Low Energy.

The purchasing process 200 (FIGS. 18 and 19) begins with checks 201 relating to the identity of the customer, in particular with the following control: the customer data of the NFC badge is known to the computer, and the customer is not no forbidden purchases (active account, unblocked badge, positive prepaid balance or valid means of payment).

In phase (203), the customer uses product (s).

Phase 205 involves detection of the nature and amount of product. Whatever the item considered, the products are based on trays 2, themselves placed on the scales 1, which continuously measure the mass of products they support. The scales 1 may be digital electronic scales, for example with piezoelectric sensors, and which operate continuously. The mass measured by each balance is transmitted, with an identifier of the scale concerned to the computer "SMASH-MON".

This one has in memory the nature of the products present on the plate 2 of the balance, and the associated prices.

It is assumed first that the tray 2 supports only one type of product. When the weight of a plate varies, the quantity of the product taken by the customer is detected by the mass differential. In the case of a product sold individually, it is sufficient to know the approximate mass of one unit to deduce the number of units entered by the customer.

It is also conceivable that the same plate supports different types of products, the unit mass of which would be different. The nature of the product is determinable when the unit mass differential is sufficiently discriminating. Otherwise, a question can be asked to the customer on the screen of the device.

Phase 207 ends with the calculation of mass and price. The customer may continue with another purchase in the same position, or the session may be closed under the conditions indicated above.

A supervisory process 300 (FIG. 20) of all the devices is provided, in particular to measure the weight variations on the scales. This supervision takes place continuously whether a purchase process (200) is in progress or not.

In case of weight variation (301), it is immediately checked whether a purchase process (200) is in progress. If this is not the case, an alert is raised (500) because the variation could be due to a handling error or an attempted fraud.

If a purchase process is in progress, a consistency test (303) checks that the change in weight is expected: for each type of product, we will have parameterized that we expect a discrete variation (solid products whose unit mass is approximately the same for all products of the same nature) or continuous (liquid or granular products). When a discrete variation is expected, it will be verified that the variation corresponds to a multiple of the unit weight of the product in question.

In case of return of product, it may be authorized to the customer to rest the product on a tray (2) different from the one on which it had taken initially. The weight variation on the new shelf is then considered as an expected variation (see restitution process 600).

If the variation is unexpected, an alert is raised (500).

More generally, it is intended to record patterns of weight variation. If a measurement differs strongly from the average diagrams, we may then suspect abnormal activity on the scales and thus raise an alert (500).

The alerting process 500 (FIG. 21) begins by transmitting to the central server the information summarizing the cause of the alert (plateau, scales concerned, weight variation traces, error message). The device is then labeled in the "DIRTY" state meaning that the intervention of a member of the store staff is necessary and that he will have to perform an operation to regularize the situation. Although in "DIRTY" state the device is still functional and in service for sale to customers. The selling process 400 (FIG. 22) is started when an expected and negative variation is detected (303 and 304) during the supervision (300). It starts with 401: the addition to the basket of detected products and the display on the LCD (6) associated with the device. The inventory data is then decremented by the quantities in question (402). Finally, the means of payment of the customer, if he has been previously informed, is then debited (403). The rendering process 600 (FIG. 23) is started when an expected and positive variation is detected (303 and 304) during the supervision (300). It begins with the credit of the customer's means of payment, if he has been previously informed (601). The inventory data is then incremented by the quantities in question (602). The products are removed from the customer's basket (603) and displayed on the LCD (6) associated with the device. If the customer places the product or products on a shelf different from the original one, the server is updated (605) to keep track of the location of each product. The device is then labeled in the state "DIRTY" meaning that the intervention of a member of the store staff will have to perform an operation to regularize the situation. Although in "DIRTY" state the device is still functional and in service for sale to customers.

Index of the numerical references of the figures:

1, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4: balance

2: plate resting on one or several scales, allowing mutualized weighing on several scales

3: bearing surface on which are placed or fixed the scales

4: contactless identification reader (NFC, RFID, Bluetooth Low Energy)

5: button to manually close the purchase process

6: LCD screen

7: surveillance camera

8: transmitter of his

9: temperature probe

10: humidity sensor

Ll, L2: LED ribbon

E0, El, E2, E3, E4: Gondola shelves

11: structure of the gondola furniture

11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4: cabinet walls, respectively left, right, up, down

12: optional hinged door or half door on gondola

13: hinges of gondola doors

14: Gondola door handle

15: electromagnetic sucker

16: counterpoise for electromagnetic suction pad

Bl, B2, B3, B4: external structure of the tray type cabinet

21: inner tray containing the product sold in bulk

22: external walls of the bottom for furniture of tray type in inclined plane

23: high support for inclined plane in a tray type furniture

24: inclined plane to support products sold in bulk

25: bumper to prevent the fall of the product sold in bulk on an inclined plane

26: hydraulic cylinder

27: laser photoelectric sensor

SI, S2, S3, S4: silo bulk distributor , V2, V3, V4: Silo dispensing valve

, 30-1, 30-2, 30-3: external structure of the silo cabinet

: space provided for the customer's container

, 33-1, 33-2, 33-3, 33-4: photocell

: light source (LED strip or neon) to illuminate cells 33: tray to support customers' containers

, P2, P3, P4: spray guns or hand shower for the dispensing of liquid products, 40-1, 40-2, 40-3, 40-4: structure of bulk liquid furniture-1, 41-2, 41- 3: Barrels containing liquid products sold in bulk

Claims

claims

1. Point of sale installation, including

a plurality of sales positions,

- computer access,

characterized in that each sales station is provided with a remote customer badge detector, arranged to address on computer access, in case of detection, a customer identifier and an identifier of the detector, while the computer responds in initiating a purchase process on the sensing sales item.

2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the purchasing process (200 - 204) comprises a verification of the customer identifier.

3. Installation according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that at least some of the sales items comprise scales, and in that said computer further comprises a supervision process (300), provided for measuring variations weight on the scales.

4. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sales positions include positions of the gondola type.

5. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sales positions include stations of the type tray.

6. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sales items include stations of the silo type.

7. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sales stations comprise positions of the gun type.

8. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a proximity threshold is derived from the identifier of the detector, said threshold being dependent on dimensions of the sales item subject to detection and its disposal in a store, so that the purchase process guarantees a control area in which the customer is alone to be able to use.

9. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the purchase process is carried out in a slippery expiration session from the last customer interaction detected by the sales position, the session being closed to the expiry.

10. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein in sales stations, products are based on trays, the trays being placed on scales, the scales measuring the mass of products they support.

11. Installation according to claim 3, wherein the supervision process (300) is provided for measuring the weight variations on the scales independently of the existence of a purchase process.

12. Installation according to claim 1 1, wherein the purchase process (400) is started when an expected and negative variation of the weight is detected during the supervision (300).

13. Installation according to one of claims 11 and 12, wherein a restitution process (600) is started when an expected and positive variation of the weight is detected during the supervision (300).

14. Installation according to one of claims 11 to 13, wherein an alert process (500) is started when an unexpected change in weight is detected during supervision (300).

15. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the sales station comprises one or more magnetic stops (15) for holding a magnetic bar of a door (12).