Fixed self-checkout station with cradle for communicating with portable self-scanning units

Abstract

A retail checkout system includes a customer-operated portable terminal with a data reader, such as a barcode scanner, and a customer-operated self-checkout station with an automated payment-accepting subsystem. Customers use the portable terminal to identify and log products that are selected as they move through a store. Item identification data is then transferred to the self-checkout station, where the customer pays for the selected products using the automated payment-accepting subsystem.

1 - 45 . (canceled)  
   
   
       46 . A method for retail check-out comprising the steps of: 
 establishing a communication link between (a) a self-checkout station incorporating a customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem and (b) a data storage unit in which a plurality of data records are stored, each of the plurality of data records corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of identifiers that was read by a portable data reading unit before the communication link was established;    inputting the plurality of data records from the data storage unit via the communication link established in the establishing step;    determining a price total for a plurality of items corresponding to the plurality of identifiers based on the plurality of data records inputted in the inputting step;    wherein determining the price total comprises:    outputting signals from the self-checkout station to a POS controller through an interface that formats the signals to mimic signals outputted by conventional POS scanning terminals after performing a check-out scan for each of the plurality of items; and    inputting, to the self-checkout station, price information generated by the POS controller in response to the signals outputted in the outputting step; and    accepting payment for the plurality of items based on the price total determined in the determining step,    wherein the step of accepting payment is performed using the customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem.    
   
   
       47 . A customer-operated checkout system for items bearing identifiers, the system comprising: 
 a portable terminal including a data reader, a memory, and a data output port; and    a self-checkout station including a data input port and a customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem,    wherein the portable terminal identifies selected items using the data reader, stores information about the selected items in the memory, and sends the stored information to the self-checkout station via the data output port, and    wherein the self-checkout station receives the stored information from the portable terminal via the data input port, outputs signals to a POS controller through an interface that formats the signals to mimic signals outputted by conventional POS scanning terminals, and accepts payment from the customer for the selected items using the payment-accepting subsystem.    
   
   
       48 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the identifiers are barcodes, the data reader identifies the selected items by reading the barcodes, and the data reader comprises a barcode reader selected from a group consisting of: a flying spot scanner, an optical imaging reader, and a wand reader.  
   
   
       49 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the identifiers are optical characters, and the data reader identifies the selected items by reading the optical characters.  
   
   
       50 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the identifiers are radio frequency identification tags, and the data reader identifies the selected items by reading the radio frequency identification tags.  
   
   
       51 . The system of  claim 47 , further comprising a base station including a first RF data interface, 
 wherein the portable terminal further includes a second RF data interface, and    wherein the portable terminal requests a price from the base station, via the first mid second RF interfaces, corresponding to each identifier read, and the base station provides a price to the portable terminal, via the first and second RF interfaces, in response to the price request.    
   
   
       52 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the memory of the portable terminal stores a price look-up table, and wherein total price for selected items is computed based on the price look-up table.  
   
   
       53 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the self-checkout station further includes an interface to a point-of-sale system.  
   
   
       54 . The system of  claim 47 , wherein the payment-accepting subsystem comprises at least one of a credit card_transaction device, a debit card transaction device, and a cash-accepting device.  
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the plurality of data records includes physical characteristic data for each of the plurality of items and further comprising the steps of: 
 calculating an expected aggregate physical characteristic for the plurality of items based on the plurality of data records;    automatically measuring an actual aggregate physical characteristic for the plurality of items; and    verifying that the measured aggregate substantially equates with the expected aggregate.    
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 55  wherein the physical characteristic is a weight.  
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 55  wherein the physical characteristic is volume.  
   
   
       58 . A method of retail shopping, comprising: 
 obtaining a portable reading unit;    selecting a set of desired items;    identifying each of the desired items using the portable reading unit during the selecting;    linking, after completion of selecting and identifying the portable reading unit to a self-checkout station having a customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem;    waiting for a transfer, into the self-checkout station, of data identifying the set of desired items;    paying for the set of desired items using the customer-operated automated payment-accepting subsystem;    determining a price total at the self-checkout station by:    outputting signals from the self-checkout station to a POS controller through an interface that formats the signals to mimic signals outputted by conventional POS scanning terminals after performing a check-out scan for each of the plurality of items; and    inputting, to the self-checkout station, price information generated by the POS controller in response to the signals outputted in the outputting step.    
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising the steps of: accessing at least one of stored weight or volume data for each item in the set of desired items; 
 calculating at least one of the expected total weight or volume for the set of desired items based on inputted data;    automatically measuring at least one of the actual total weight or volume of the set of desired items; and    verifying that the measured total substantially approximates the expected total.