The present invention relates to an automatic paying system, as well as a detection and prevention system for theft in a retail outlet (briefly, SAP and PRF).

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that in the world, theft in retail outlets for food and other represent a considerable reduction in profits for large distribution chains.

In Italy alone, with 970 Hypermarkets, 13,420 Supermarkets, 4, 190 Discount stores and 550 Cash & Carry stores, thefts from shoplifting amount to about 4 billion euro per year.

The rest of the world suffers in about the same amount by percentage.

In the last ten years, many international and Italian companies have striven to reduce the incidence of shoplifting theft by the use of systems such as CCTV cameras, anti-theft labels and radiofrequency labels, investing more than 10 billion euro without truly obtaining any result that matches the effective investment.

Document EP 1 873 705 discloses a system to prevent theft in supermarkets where the trolleys or the baskets are associated to a respective RFID code and weighted empty. The single products are themselves each correlated with respective RFID codes and to each of said products is associated a theoretical weight.

At the exit the trolley full of products is weighted and to said total weight, the weight of the empty trolley is subtracted in order to determine a real weight of the products. In addition to that, a total theoretical weight of all products is calculated by summing all the theoretical weights of all the products.

If the real weight and the theoretical weight of the products differ for a significant quantity, an alarm is generated. This system leaves open the problem given by the fact that some products could be hidden by a customer in his/her pockets or in general in his/her clothes and/or in accessories such as bags, purses, backpacks and so on.

Document EP 0 709 813 discloses a system in which, by means of a first scales, the total weight of a customer and of his/her shopping trolley (or basket) is weighted in an entrance point of a shop. This total value is memorized in the system. The products taken for purchase are scanned by the customer and their total weight is registered.

The actual total weight of the customer, of the trolley and of the purchased goods is determined by means of a second scales in correspondence of the cashier and is compared with the sum of a first term given by the weight of the customer and the weight of the empty trolley (or basket) and a second term given by the weight of the products previously registered by the scanning operation.

Since this system weights the customer and the trolley at the same time, it is not able to determine if an eventual difference of weight is due to the weight of the products in the trolley, that have not been scanned, or to products hidden by a customer in his/her pockets or in general in his/her clothes and/or in accessories such as bags, purses, backpacks and so on. Document DE 32 02 303 discloses a method for the prevention of theft in self-service shops, wherein each customer that enters into the shopping space is weighted and a code is assigned to each customer. The customer is then identified at the exit and is weighted again. The two weights are compared to each other and if the differ by a significant quantity, an alarm is generated.

This system does not associate codes to the products in the shop, therefore if one wants to determine their weight, they must be weighted one by one on a scales.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An aim of the present invention is to obviate the above-cited drawbacks, by means of an automatic payment, prevention and detection system in a retail outlet which enables a reduction in the percentage of thefts in the retail outlets of the large distribution chains, and not only, i.e. in retail outlets of small or medium dimensions, allowing a complete control of the situation and guaranteeing the customer's privacy.

A further aim of the invention is to obtain a reduction in personnel working 5 at the checkouts.

A further aim of the invention is to obtain a reduction in the surface occupied by the checkout points (at present this is considerable space when compared to the overall square meterage dedicated to retail).

A further aim of the invention is to obtain a better management of the0 trolley stock, in relation to the effective use by the consumer of the various types of trolley made available for use in the retail outlet.

A last but no less important aim of the invention is to obtain a reduction in the length of the queues for the operation of the payment at the checkouts.

The aims are attained with an automatic system of payment and detection5 and prevention of theft in a retail outlet comprising:

- in an entry station of the retail outlet, identifying means of a consumer and a container of products associable to the consumer;

- at least a scales for weighing the product container when empty and for weighing the consumer;

o - means for sending the data relating to the identifying and the weight at the entry station to an exit station of the retail outlet;

- in at least a reading station of data relating to single products, reading means, for each product taken for purchase, of an identifying code associated to the product;

5 - means for associating each product, an identifying code of which has been read, with information on the weight of the product;

- means for determining a total weight of the products;

- means for determining a total control weight given by the sum of the weight of the consumer, of the weight of the container when empty and the o total weight of the products;

- means for identifying the consumer at the exit station of the retail outlet; - means for identifying the container of products associated to the consumer at the exit station of the retail outlet;

- at least a scales for weighing the container of products containing all the products taken and of the consumer in order to determine a total effective weight;

- means for comparing the total effective weight and the total control weight;

- means for generating a consent signal for payment of products, in a case in which the total effective weight and the total control weight correspond; and

- means for signalling any discrepancies.

Among the advantages of this embodiment of the invention is the fact that it enables an improvement in the operating margin for the managers, and reduces the chance of goods being taken without being paid for.

A reduction in costs is also obtained for the manager and in the risks of theft (often due to complicity on the part of checkout operators in regard to relatives, friends, etc.).

The manager also gains in the concrete sense of having more space/square meterage in the retail outlets, thus having more room with which to generate income and improved margins.

Lastly, a better service is offered to the consumer, as well as a strong incentive for increasing customer footfall.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the means for identifying a consumer comprise an anonymous card provided to the consumer on which the weight of the consumer can be recorded and, in a separate way, the weight of the empty container and/or the weights of all products taken for purchase.

This embodiment allows to maintain the privacy of customer by not making available the weight of the customer and, at the same time, it allows to provide to the station all data necessary to perform the controls of the described method.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the reading means, for each product taken for purchase, of an identifying code associated to the product, comprise a portable electronic device provided with a videocamera and an application that associates to each product of which the identifying code has been read, information on the weight of the product.

Use of this embodiment may allow to improve ease of the product's codes reading operations.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, in the entry station and/or in the exit station of the retail outlet, scales are present for separate weighing of the consumer and the container.

An advantage of this realisation is that by separately weighing the consumer and the container - first empty and then full of products - brought to the checkout for payment, the system's ability to identify discrepancies between what is expected and what effectively collected by the consumer is improved, immediately detecting if the difference is relative to the weight of the consumer or of the trolley.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the identifying means of the container of products associable to the consumer and the single products comprise bar codes and at least a bar code reader.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the identifying means of the container of products associable to the consumer and the single products comprise RFID devices and radio-frequency readers.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the bar codes or the RFID devices are of traditional type and the data relating to the weight of the single products is present in a system database and is automatically associated to the specific product following a reading of the respective code.

An advantage of this embodiment is that it enables use of traditional bar codes already present on the products on sale.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the bar code and/or the RFID device comprises data relating to the weight of the product and/or the container.

This embodiment enables reading, using bar code readers or RFID detectors, the weight of the containers and the products and sending them to the database which stores them such as to make them available for controls at the checkouts.

The invention further comprises a process of payment and prevention and detection of theft in a retail outlet as defined in the accompanying claims, the advantages of which are substantially the same as those provided by the system.

Further characteristics of the invention can be gleaned from the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be evident from a reading of the following description, provided by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the figures illustrated in the appended tables, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of an entry station of a retail outlet equipped with elements of the system according to an embodiment of the invention; figure 2 is a flow diagram of the activities carried out in the entry station of figure 1 ;

figure 3 is a schematic view of a plurality of reading stations of a retail outlet equipped with the system of an embodiment of the invention;

figure 4 is a flow diagram of the activities carried out according to the choices of products for buying;

figure 5 is a schematic view of an exit station of a retail outlet equipped with the system according to an embodiment of the invention;

figure 6 is a flow diagram of the activities performed in the outlet station of figure 5;

figure 7 is a schematic view of an exit station of a retail outlet equipped with the system according to a further embodiment of the invention; and figure 8 is a flow chart of the activities performed in the outlet station of figure 7.

BEST WAY TO CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The figures illustrate an automatic system for payment and prevention and detection of theft in a retail outlet; in order for it to function, some preliminary operations are required.

In particular, the consumer entering the outlet to buy products is equipped with a card, i.e. a personal identification and customer loyalty card - exclusive and protected, free of charge, that provides streamlined payment procedures and rewards the customer's loyalty with bonuses or other incentives.

During the enrolment phase, the card is programmed with the card holder's identification data and, where applicable, a photograph is included.

The card, thus constituted, enables the system to uniquely identify each consumer who accesses the outlet and uses the system according to the various embodiments of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the card provided to the client can be anonymous, namely provided only of an identifying number and is given at the entrance and returned at the exit, and employing the system according to the various embodiments of the invention.

On the anonymous card the weight of the client can be registered and, separately from it, the weight of the empty trolley or of the empty basket and/or the weights of the single products, weights that are determined with the methods described in the following description, for example because the card can be inserted in a suitable reader in correspondence of the scales. When the client has terminated his/her purchases and goes to the cashier, the anonymous card can be read electronically and the data contained are used by the system to perform the controls and is also used to pay at the cashier the products registered therein.

The card can be returned and cancelled at every use in order to be reused for the successive clients.

The described cards can be a smart card, or - as is known - a plastic support in which a microchip is mounted, connected to a connection interface. The chip provides built-in calculation and data storage functions, such as consumer-related data and the smart card can interact with reading terminals connected to computers. In alternative, magnetic cards can be employed.

In alternative, the card can be a smart card that, in addition to register at the entrance the weight of the consumer and of the empty trolley (or basket), it can memorize all data, weight comprised, of the products that the customer takes for purchase.

To do so it is possible to provide the customer with a scanner wand or other suitable reader, to read the products, wherein said scanner wand has a front side that is equipped with optical reading means to read bar codes or QR codes.

Moreover, the scanner wand has a back side wherein to insert the card.

When the consumer reads the products, the identifying data of the single product, comprising the weight are read by the optical reading means and at the same written on the card.

The card, that at the end to the purchase contains also the data of the total weight of all the products that are taken for purchase, is returned at the exit for the check of the various final weights.

This system has the advantage that it avoids queues at the reading stations and can be used also by those who do not possess a smartphone.

The bar code can be of conventional type, and thus identify only the product, and the data relating to the weight of the customer can be stored in a database of the system such as to be automatically associated to the specific product in the subsequent operating stages of the system.

Alternatively, the bar code of each product on sale in the store in can be set up in such a way that, in addition to the usual information that helps to identify the product, it can also contain additional information such as the weight of the individual product by adding one or more figures to the traditional bar code.

Bar codes that can be used can also be 2D barcodes or QR codes.

Alternatively, in place of the bar code, the technology known as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification or Radio Frequency Identification) can be used for reading the universal code known as "Electronic Product Code" (EPC).

In addition, each carriage and each basket of the retail outlet may be equipped with a bar code (or a RFID) serving to identify the specific trolley or basket used by the consumer. In general, therefore, each product container used by the consumer to collect the chosen products to bring to the checkout can be identified by a unique code. The code can also include information relating to the weight of the container when empty.

In the following reference will be made to readings of bar codes, while it is intended that if RFID systems were used instead, appropriate radio frequency readers can be used instead of optical readers.

The system of the invention is equipped with a central data processing unit 60, which uses a database 70 relating to the products and to the purchases thereof, and data reading stations located in the retail outlet, as well data transmission channels from the reading stations to the database.

Figure 1 illustrates an entry station 10 of a retail outlet equipped with elements of the system according to an embodiment of the invention.

The consumer 1 1 , after being provided with a container 13 for the products that she or he wishes to buy, approaches the entry station 10, where the consumer's 1 1 identification data and the product container 13 associated thereto are read.

The consumer 1 1 places the container 13 on a conveyor 16 which carries the container 13 to the centre of the entry station 10, into the area dedicated to the container 13, which is an area equipped with a precision scales 12 for weighing the empty container 13 and an optical reader 15 for reading the bar code of the container 13.

The consumer 1 1 enters the entry station 10, accessing the area apportioned to him or her, and positions him or herself on a precision scale 14.

At this point there is a step in which the data of the container 13 and the consumer 11 are acquired, which has the purpose of associating the consumer 1 1 and the container 13 with one another, as illustrated by way of example in the flow chart of figure 2.

The consumer 1 1 nears the card to an optical reader 17 and activates the system.

The system at this stage, via the card, reads the consumer's code so that it can be identified (block 100).

The date and time of entry of the consumer 1 1 are also recorded.

The consumer 1 1 steps onto the scales 14, which is activated by the consumer's card 1 1 and which measures the weight of the consumer on entry (Peso_Cons_E) (block 1 10).

Then a second optical reader 15 is activated and identifies the container, via the barcode inserted in the container 13 (block 120).

The scales 12 of the container which measures the empty weight thereof (Peso_Cont_E) are also contemporaneously activated (block 130).

An association is then carried out (block 140) between the data relating to the consumer 1 1 and the container 13 in such a way as to communicate with the central data processing unit 60 and the database 70 of the system that a particular container 13 is now being used by a particular consumer 1 1.

All the data associated as described above (identification code of the consumer, identification code of the container used, the empty weight of the container and the weight of the consumer) are sent to the system database 70 so that that they are made available to an exit station 30, 40 (block 150).

In a variant of the invention (not shown for reasons of simplicity) one scales alone can be used to weigh the container 13 when empty together with the consumer 1 1.

In a further variant of the invention (not shown for reasons of simplicity) the bar code or the RFID device can also be supplied with information relating to the empty weight of the container 13.

In a further alternative, the data relating to the empty weight of the container 13 is associable to the container 13 itself and are sourced from a database 70.

After these operations, the system opens an electrically-controlled entry gate 19 to enable access by the consumer 1 to the retail area, and activates the conveyor belt 16 of the container 13, drawing it out of the entry station 10.

Figure 3 is a schematic view of a plurality of reading stations in a retail outlet equipped, around a gondola 22, with the system according to an embodiment of the invention, which illustrates a typical retail outlet layout. Some reading stations 24 are positioned at the head of the gondola 22 and along the shelves, which reading stations 24 exhibit a slot 28 where the consumer's card is inserted, and which stations 24 are also equipped with a scanner wand 26 for reading the bar codes of the products.

The consumer 1 1 removes a product from the shelf and deposits 29 it in the container 13.

The consumer 1 1 inserts his card, into the slot 28 of the reading station 24, takes the scanner wand 26 and reads the product 29 bar code.

All the products 29 are equipped with a bar code which besides the usual reference information on a product also includes the relative weight of the product 29.

By "relative weight" of the product 29 is meant the weight of the product including its packaging.

The same operation is repeated for all products 29 taken from the shelves and placed in the container.

Alternatively, the bar code can be of the conventional type, and thus identify only the product, and the information concerning the weight thereof could be present in the database system 70 and therefore be automatically associated to the specific product 29 after the reading of the bar code or other code.

For the operation of the system, not each station has to have a scanner wand 26; instead each consumer could be provided with a personal scanner wand 80, associated to that particular consumer, so that she or he can use to read off all the product 29 bar codes.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the customer that are provided with a Smartphone can download a dedicated application that allows the Smartphone to read the bar codes or the QR codes that also comprise the weight of the relative product.

The client can therefore use his/her Smartphone to read the codes of the product that he/she wants to purchase and communicate them in real time to the system. As the embodiment that uses the Smartphone gets more and more in use, the reading stations 24 needed can be reduced, or even eliminated.

With Smartphone, in the present description, it is intended any electronic portable device provided with a videocamera.

Figure 4 illustrates a flow chart of the activities performed in conjunction with the choice of products for purchase.

At each data-scanning operation, first the product is identified (block 200). Using the card inserted into the slot 28, the product is associated with the consumer 1 1 who intends to purchase it (block 210).

Each data-reading station 24 of the system sends the product data to the database 70, also accessible from the output station 30, 40 (block 220).

In this way, at each product recording, the database is continually updated with all the information relating to the consumer 1 1 and the products the consumer is buying (block 230).

This data can include at least all the references for the products placed in the container 29, their total weight (Peso_Tot_Prod), updated continuously, the weight of the empty container (Peso_Cont_E) and the weight of the consumer (Peso_Cons_E).

Also, based on the total weight (Peso_Tot_Prod) of the products selected by the consumer 1 1 and the weight of the empty container (Peso_Cont_E) a control weight can be determined for the full container (Peso_Contr_Cont) , that is the sum of the total weight (Peso_Tot_Prod) of selected products and the weight of the empty container (Peso_Cont_E), namely: Peso_Contr_Cont = Peso_Tot_Prod + Peso_Cont_E (block 240).

A further index that can be determined is the total control weight (Peso_Tot_Contr) given by the sum of the consumer's weight at entry

(Peso_Cons_E), the weight of the empty container (Peso_Cont_E) and the weight of the products selected by the consumer (Peso_Tot_Prod), namely: Peso_Tot_Contr = Peso_Cons_E + Peso_Cont_E + Peso_Tot_Prod (block 250).

The output station 1 that receives the consumer at the end of her or his shopping in the retail outlet can be configured according to two alternatives.

Figure 5 is a schematic view of an exit station 30 of a retail outlet equipped with the system according to an embodiment of the invention.

The output station 30 has two accesses, one for the container 13 and the other for the consumer 1 1 , both equipped with a scales.

In particular, the container 13 must enter the first access (arrow F1 ), for example transported by a conveyor belt 36 for positioning on a scales 32, while the consumer 1 1 , without the container 13, must enter the second access (arrow F2) and position her or himself on a scales 34.

At this point there is a step of data verification and payment for the products, illustrated in figure 6.

The exit station 30 identifies the specific container 13 (block 320) by means of an optical reader 35 which reads the bar code associated with the container 13 and measures, on the scales 32, the actual weight of the outgoing container (Peso_Cont_U output) that is given by the weight of the empty container (Peso_Cont_E) plus the weight of the products actually contained in it at the time of weighing (block 330).

The exit station 30 also identifies the specific consumer 1 1 (block 300) by means of an optical reader 37 which reads the bar code associated with the consumer's card and measures, on the scales 34, the weight of the consumer (block 310).

After the identification and weighing operations carried out in the exit station 30, the actual weight of the outgoing container (Peso_Cont_U) is compared with the control weight of the full container (Peso_Contr_Cont) (block 350).

In the event that the actual weight of the outgoing container (Peso_Cont_U) and the control weight of the full container (Peso_Contr_Cont) match, a first conformity signal is generated (block 370).

In the event that there is not a good match, and the difference between the two values exceeds a predetermined threshold, a first alarm signal is generated (block 390).

Likewise, the consumer's weight determined at the exit station

(Peso_Cons_U) is compared with the consumer's weight (Peso_Cons_E) determined at the entry station 10 (block 340). In the event that the consumer's weight calculated at the exit station (Peso_Cons_U) corresponds with the consumer's weight (Peso_Cons_E) calculated at the entry station, a second conformity signal is generated (block 360).

In the event that this correspondence is not good, and the difference between the two values exceeds a predetermined threshold, a second alarm signal is generated (block 385).

In the event that both the first and the second signal of conformity are generated, a signal is emitted to enable payment of the products (block 380), which consequently issues a receipt at the checkout 50 to the cashier.

Note that the cashier has no chance to see the total weight or the partial weights of the operation, in particular the consumer's weight, to protect the consumer's privacy.

In the event that an alarm signal is generated to block the transaction, the store personnel sees to the necessary checks.

Figure 7 is a schematic view of an exit station 40 of a retail outlet equipped with the system according to a further embodiment of the invention.

The exit station 40 has only one access (arrow F3) for the consumer 1 1 which transports the container 13 with the products 29, and a scales 42.

The exit station 40 further identifies the specific consumer 1 1 (block 400) by means of an optical reader 47 which reads the bar code associated with the consumer card 1 1 and identifies the specific container 13 (block 410) by means of an optical reader 45 which scans the bar code associated with the container 13.

The exit station 40 measures, on the scales 42, the actual weight of the group formed by the consumer 1 1 and the container 13 with the products 29, calculating an actual total weight (Peso_Tot_U) at exit (block 420).

Figure 8 is a flow chart of the activities performed in the entry station of figure 7.

In the event that the actual total weight (Peso_Tot_U) and the total weight control (Peso_Tot_Contr) coincide, a signal is generated to enable payment of the products (block 450). In the event however where there is no such correspondence, and the difference between the two values exceeds a predetermined threshold, an alarm signal is generated (block 440).

In this case too, where an alarm signal has blocked the transaction, the store personnel sees to the necessary checks.

The operation of the described system is therefore based on the ability of the system to measure, in addition to the usual data (cardholder and references of the purchased products) also the weight of the consumer, the weight of the empty container (basket or basket) and the weight of products, and the total price of the products for the payment.

At the moment of the final transaction (i.e. payment at the checkout), in the event that the consumer has placed, in the container, products which do not correspond to those recorded by the system in terms of reference number and weight, the system signals the discrepancy to the cashier.

Likewise, the system enables detection of any discrepancy between the weight of the container on entry and exit.

The system can also detect the number of products taken for purchase for any further controls.

The system can be implemented with wireless technology and/or by means of touch screen readers.

The disclosed smart card may also be transponder cards, namely being provided with a support in which a microchip and an antenna RFID are embedded.

Obviously the invention as described is susceptible to modification or improvement, dictated by contingencies or details, without its thereby forsaking the scope of the invention as claimed below.